Something to Live For
by Leebot
Summary: Mio Sakomoto, a lifelong warrior, has reached the end of her career, but with most of her life still lying before her. As she tries to find new meaning in life, Minna tries to figure out what to do about her feelings before life pulls Mio away from her.
1. Cruel to be Kind

**Author's Note:** This fic is Mio x Minna centered, set near and after the end of season 2. If there's a season 3 or other follow-up this may end up as AU compared to that, but until then I'll try to stick to canon as much as possible. The first chapter takes place in the middle of season 2, episode 11, and future chapters will take place after the end of season 2.

To any of my readers who've followed me here because of other work, I highly recommend you watch this series to gain appreciation for the characters before reading this fic. It contains heavy spoilers for the series up through the end of season 2, and you probably won't understand a lot of Mio's motivation without having watched the series. I'm not trying to scare you off reading, mind you; I'm trying to nudge you into watching the series. I doubt you'll be disappointed.

Many thanks to Shezaei Neko for all the help and advice she gave me in writing this!

X-X-X

**Title:** Something to Live For

**Chapter Rating:** T

**Chapter 1:** Cruel to be Kind

X-X-X

There were some things that Minna-Dietlinde Wilcke hated about being in command. Paperwork was near the top of the list, but narrowly beating it out was any time she had to drop the "Good Cop" facade – either to lay out punishments on her subordinates or to keep from doing something idiotic. She hated it more when she had to punish someone for trying too hard to help out.

Topping the list was when that subordinate was Mio Sakomoto. There were a dozen reasons why it was harder with Mio. Mio was the only member of the squadron who was older than her. Mio was the first witch to ever wear a Striker Unit; she was an idol to every living witch. Mio was her best friend. Mio was the only witch to find a way to keep fighting past retirement age. There wasn't a witch alive who didn't respect Mio.

But the very attitude which had garnered Mio this respect was going to get her killed. Her career as a witch was over, but she would die before admitting it. Mio couldn't use her shields, she couldn't use her sword to deflect beams, and she could barely even fly well enough to avoid being hit. Mio had always expected to die a glorious death in battle, and if she expected that this would be her last battle, then Minna couldn't trust her to stay alive.

When Minna sensed that Mio had left her room to go to the hangar, she knew that there was no other option. She could never stop Mio from going into battle with them the next day, but she could still prevent Mio from draining her magic dry overnight. If Mio had enough magic left to fly, she could still be useful, and Minna could set up the formations to keep Mio in the back and out of the line of fire. Mio's eye still worked, and as long as she could spot Neuroi cores, she could be useful. But none of that would matter if Mio used up all of her magic trying to train tonight and wouldn't even be able to fly during the mission. There was no telling what she'd do if she couldn't even properly support the team, but no possibility was good.

Minna waited in the runway while Mio tried to take off, ready to deploy her shields if Mio couldn't brake or avoid her in time. At the top of her game, Mio would have just stopped short to see what was going on or flown up and over her, depending on her mood. Tonight, all Mio could manage to do was to awkwardly avoid Minna before crashing to the ground. Minna winced inwardly for her friend, but she couldn't show any weakness at this moment.

Mio grunted, pushing herself up off of the ground. "Minna... You knew?" No comment about her crash, no attempt to blame it on Minna for standing in her way, her voice steady. Typical Mio. But typical wouldn't do tonight.

"I knew it would come to this someday." Minna forced herself to stand still. She needed to break Mio, as much as she might hate having to do it. And to do that, she needed to stay strong. If Mio saw an ounce of weakness in Minna, she wouldn't see the weakness in herself.

"I see." Mio still wasn't admitting the truth to herself. If Minna had to spell it out for her, she would.

"It's a double-edged sword. In exchange for strength on the battlefield, that magical sword eats up a great deal of your magical power." The first drops of rain hit Minna's head as she spoke, and it took only a few seconds before water was pouring from the heavens. She had never been more thankful for rain in her life. It might be just what she needed to help push Mio over the edge. That, and the harsh truth: "Reppumaru is shortening your lifespan as a witch."

That did it. Mio stood up and turned to the side, Reppumaru raised in the air. Minna had hit her weak spot, and she knew it, but she still wasn't giving up. "I can still fight!" Mio declared, charging Reppumaru with her magic. But just as quickly as her magic's glow had appeared, it was gone. And with that, Mio started to break.

"It's over, Mio!" Minna didn't have to worry about showing her own strength any longer. Tears started to well in her eyes as she finally gave her emotions permission to show on her face.

"It's not! I swear I will master the True Reppuzan!" Mio's body began to shake as she tried to force what little magic remained in her body into the blade. But despite these efforts, she couldn't put even an ounce of energy into it. She could have tried all night and accomplished nothing beyond making Reppumaru glow for a full two seconds.

"No! Can't you see? It's impossible!" Minna's heart pounded in her chest. She hated having to do this to her friend, but there was no other choice.

"Please!" Mio said. Whether she was begging the heavens, Minna, or her own body, it didn't matter. She was done. "Please, just once! Just one attack! Let me perform a True Reppuzan!" It was over. Mio lost her grip on her sword and collapsed to her knees, tears breaking free from her eyes. Minna could finally let herself move to support Mio. She was there, in front of Mio for her friend's final plea. "Please... let me... Let me be one of the eleven! I'm begging you... Minna..."

Mio collapsed. She'd fallen as far as she could, and Minna was there to catch her. _That... that I can do._ "Mio..." Minna struggled not to cry herself while Mio let her own tears pour out. She needed to be strong. She would be Mio's rock, as long as it took and as much as it hurt.

She let Mio cry her heart out; she needed this. Mio had to have been holding so much back. The rain didn't seem to be letting up, so Minna decided to wait until Mio seemed to have calmed down, even a little, and then bring her back inside. It took a while, but Mio's sobs seemed to soften a bit, and Mio could feel her friend's arms moving a bit against her, as if trying to decide whether or not to return the hug.

Minna didn't give her the chance to make up her mind. "Let's get out of this rain. You need to get some rest if you're going to be any use to us tomorrow." Mio's sobs stopped as she heard this, and Minna took the opportunity to lift the two of them to their feet. She could tell that Mio wanted to follow up and ask her about this, or perhaps just thank her, but she didn't give Mio the opportunity. She turned away and picked up Mio's Striker Unit, carrying it into the hangar for the night.

She didn't turn back to Mio, trying to keep what professional distance she could while they were outside. She could sense the presence of someone else awake on the base, but she couldn't tell who it was or where without engaging her powers in full, and it really wasn't worth alerting Mio to the fact that someone else was up and about just to figure out who it was. She could wait until they were in private to show more emotion towards her friend – she intended to make sure Mio got some sleep if she had to watch the other girl fall asleep personally.

Mio followed her silently as Minna swung by the baths to grab a pair of towels. She passed one to Mio, who took it absentmindedly, as she turned back down the hall, heading towards her room. They'd have to go outside again to get to Mio's room, but her room was blessed with a spare bed that Mio could use if she didn't want to brave the rain again. The trick would be convincing Mio to take advantage of that opportunity without tipping her hand. Fortunately, Mio didn't ask any questions as she followed Minna. Perhaps she'd gone through the same thought process and figured out what Minna was thinking, or perhaps she was just too drained to care.

Minna let out a soft sigh as she reached the door to her room. She hadn't really thought this part through, so she wasn't sure if it would be best to talk about things with Mio, to try to get her to take a better outlook on her own future – which seemed nearly impossible at the moment – or whether she should just give her silent support. The latter option seemed better right now, particularly as Mio wasn't being very talkative. The catch was that she would really just be delaying the problem that way. She'd need to at least try to get Mio to think about her life after retiring as a witch, and have some goal in mind.

Minna went to her closet to get a spare nightrobe for Mio, hoping that the other girl would towel herself off and then try to get some sleep, but it turned out that Mio wasn't doing as well as Minna had hoped. As soon as the door closed behind her, Mio let herself fall down to the nearest bed, which happened to be Minna's, burying her face in her pillow. Minna couldn't tell if she was crying again, but she assumed the worst. With a grimace, she sat down on the bed beside Mio and placed a hand on her friend's shoulder, tossing the nightrobe onto the foot of the bed for the time being.

What could she say? Any way she tried to console Mio was just as liable to remind her of why she was in pain in the first place. She needed to give Mio something to live for aside from being a witch. And as soon as that thought crossed through her mind, her heart made sure to tell her exactly what it wanted her to say: _"Live for me."_

But she couldn't say that. She couldn't let herself get attached again. She was already far too attached to Mio, and she kept slipping. She'd done everything she could to keep herself from thinking of Mio as anything more than a friend, but it was a losing battle – all the more so after Mio had kissed her in a drunken haze. Did Mio actually like her back, or did she just kiss the nearest person available? There was no way to know, but it didn't stop Minna from wondering.

_No, I have to stop thinking about this, _Minna scolded herself. She couldn't be worrying about herself at a time like this. She had to do what was best for Mio. She just didn't know what that was. She gazed at Mio, trying to come up with something, anything. She went with the first idea that came to her mind, simply because it was better than nothing, and she grabbed Mio's discarded towel and brought it up to her friend's hair. She delicately untied Mio's ponytail and tried to dry out her friend's hair as much as she could.

"You don't..." Mio mumbled into the pillow. She shook her head and turned it towards Minna, revealing her tear-soaked cheeks and a reddened eye. "You don't have to do that."

For some reason, Minna took this as an encouraging sign. Mio wasn't sobbing at the moment, and she was getting a bit of her resolve back. Minna didn't stop, though. She just moved closer to Mio so she could reach around the girl's head and keep drying her hair. "I know," she said. She brought a corner of the towel around to dry off Mio's cheeks. "But you don't have to do everything yourself."

Mio didn't miss the hidden meaning in Minna's words. Her gaze steeled a bit more as she looked up at Minna. "There are some things only I can do, though."

"That's true," Minna said, giving Mio a soft smile. She placed the towel down, trying to think of the best way to handle this. Her first thought was to mention the use of Mio's eye to spot Neuroi cores, but even that power might fade in time. If Mio couldn't fly, its use would also be limited. No, she had to remind Mio that there was still more to life. "Do you know what they are, though?"

This question seemed to catch Mio off-guard. She didn't seem to have a reply forthcoming, so Minna took a chance to dry herself off while she let Mio mull over the question. There were many examples she could have given – the original Strike Witch was hardly useless to the world, even after retirement – but Mio would be more likely to accept them if she came up with them herself.

After she'd gotten her hair mostly dry, Minna looked back down at Mio, finding that her friend was still deep in thought. She didn't seem upset though, so perhaps she was coming up with a few good ideas. Minna decided to leave her with that for the time being, and she went over to her closet to get out her own nightrobe.

From the girls she was in command of and their all-too-frequent disregard for common sense in battle, Minna had come to the firm conclusion that what got hailed as heroism or courage by the public was in reality just dumb actions combined with dumb luck. So she characterized it as idiocy, rather than courage, which led to her suddenly saying the words, "No one else can be what you are to me, for one example."

Minna silently cursed herself as soon as the words had left her lips, and her heart sped up into a panicked beat. She quickly finished changing into her nightrobe, trying to pretend that she hadn't just said that, while at the same time she tried to figure out just why she had. It was idiotic, plain and simple. She couldn't be giving Mio any more burdens to carry when she went out into combat the next day; she didn't need to worry about what Minna thought of her on top of everything else.

Perhaps she'd get off lucky and it would turn out Mio hadn't heard her, or wasn't paying attention to her. She didn't risk it, and she made sure to keep her back to Mio as she put her clothes away and lay down in her spare bed. It took her a full minute to realize that she'd left the lights on. She was going crazy, she decided. In trying to avoid looking at Mio, she was just making herself look more suspicious.

Letting out a sigh, Minna rolled over to face Mio. She had to face this. Except, what she ended up facing was the sight of Mio's naked body as she changed into the nightrobe Minna had provided for her. It should have been no big deal; they'd seen each other naked in the baths many times, but her mind was in quite a different place right now, and she quickly looked away. At least the good part of this was that it meant Mio probably hadn't heard her, or she wouldn't have chosen that minute to change. When the lights turned off a minute later, Minna let out a sigh of relief. Her relief lasted up until the moment when Mio sat down on the bed next to her.

"What am I to you?" Mio asked simply. Minna went into a panic, running those words through her mind again and again, trying to tease out some meaning in Mio's tone of voice, but she could find none. She might still be able to play this off. She could tell Mio that she was a good friend, and it would be the truth. Not the whole truth, though, and it wasn't the reason she'd said that. She couldn't lie to Mio, even a lie of omission, but she wasn't even sure if she could put her own feelings into words.

One dumb sentence had brought her to this point, and maybe one more would get her past it. Not letting herself think about this anymore, she opened her eyes to look at Mio and said the first thing that came to mind: "You're Mio."

Mio blinked. It took a few seconds for the statement to properly register with her, but when it finally did, Minna was rewarded with some dumb luck of her own: Mio laughed. It was a laugh that only Mio could properly deliver, and relief washed through Minna's body at the sound of it. She knew that this wave of relief wouldn't fade as easily as the last. She'd actually said the right thing, somehow. "Thank you, Minna," Mio said when her laughter had died down.

Minna watched Mio return to her bed and settle in for the night. She didn't see any reason to believe Mio might try to sneak out on her for training, so she let herself close her eyes and try to get some sleep as well. _I promise you, Mio,_ she silently swore, _I'll never let you give up on life._


	2. Onward and Upward

**Author's Note:** Thank you so much for all the reviews for the first chapter. I'm quite encouraged to see how many people are reading this and excited about it, so I'll do my best not to let you all down. I'm writing a lot more characters in this chapter, so I also hope I don't let any of you down with your favorites. ;)

I've ended up doing a lot of research for this fic to get a handle on the war effort, the world, and its history. It turns out that's rather difficult, given how much of the material is still only in Japanese, but I think I've gotten enough to work with in developing this story. If I do make any mistakes though, feel free to point them out to me in a review or PM.

**Edits:** Thanks to RemiLou's catching it, I've changed the spelling of Yoshika's last name to "Miyafuji," as it indeed should be. Don't know how the "Miyafugi" spelling got stuck in my head... I've also added in a line mentioning Perrine, who is indeed present this chapter.

X-X-X

**Title:** Something to Live For

**Chapter Rating:** K+

**Chapter 2:** Onward and Upward

X-X-X

"Uh, sorry, let me try that again," Eila said, reshuffling the card into her Tarot deck before she let anyone else see it, which prompted Mio to let out another sigh. She would have been content to just wait in silence, or even talk about something else, while Minna was picking up their redeployment orders, but everyone else was on edge about them. Eila's way of coping was particularly annoying, as she insisted on trying to predict where everyone would be going next with her cards, and her predictions made less and less sense as she went through the roster of witches.

Eila had drawn the Sun card for herself, which she figured meant she would be redeployed to Afrika, near the equator. Sanya got the Priestess, which supposedly meant she'd be staying in Romagna - up until Eila realized this implied she wouldn't be going with her, at which point it changed to meaning she'd be going to Afrika as well - while Lucchini got the Fool, which meant she'd be going either nowhere or everywhere. Yoshika's Star somehow meant she was going to Liberion instead of retiring, while Lynette's Chariot meant that she'd be off to Fuso, for some bizarre reason.

It got worse when Barkhorn was drawn the Magician card and Eila explained that it meant she'd be retiring from the military and working on development of an improved version of the magical dynamo. After accusing Eila of not having a clue what she was doing - which Mio privately agreed with - Barkhorn had gone off to Eila's room to call her bluff and find a guide to the Tarot which could settle their argument.

But Mio was the only one Eila had hesitated on so far. By the third time Eila was about to reshuffle the card she drew into the deck, Mio was fed up and just wanted to get it over with, so she snatched the card out of Eila's hand. She turned it over to find a pale skull staring at her: the Death card. No surprise Eila wanted to reshuffle this one. But given her track record so far, Mio wasn't going to get very concerned about it. "What were the first two you drew for me?" she asked, wondering what other catastrophes the deck had in mind for her.

"Er, well I got the Hanged Man twice before..." Eila said, grabbing the card back out of Mio's hand and nervously shuffling it back into the deck. "But I'm sure it's nothing to worry about. It's not like I drew either of those cards three times in a row, and at least there wasn't Judgment in there as well..."

"So you're saying that instead of being hung after a trial, she gets to be hung twice with no trial? That's worse in my books," Shirley said. She was taking this about as seriously as Mio was, though her grin showed her amusement more. "And are you even doing that right? Aren't you supposed to lay the cards out in a square and then turn over a few of them to make a prediction?"

Eila shrugged at this. "This is faster. It can't take Commander Minna that long to pick up-"

"Hah!" Barkhorn slammed a book down on the table as she ran into the room, causing Eila to jump in her seat. She pointed to a line on the page and said, "Right here! 'The magician can signify personal strength, initiative, and self-confidence. When found in a Divination spread, the magician usually indicates that one should tap into one's full potential, often to transform oneself or something else.' Then there's a huge list here of its relation to other cards and how to interpret it, and absolutely none of it has anything to do with going into research!"

Eila didn't seem to be put off by Barkhorn, though she did seem to be surprised that she was wrong about the meaning of the card. She turned the book so she could read the page and said, "You're right. They really named the card poorly if this is what it means, though. Maybe I should try a full Divination spread for you, Trude..."

Barkhorn rolled her eyes at this, though the sound of footsteps coming from the hall made her snap to attention as Minna entered the room. "Commander!" With her back turned to the rest of the room, Barkhorn missed out on the fact that most of the other girls were now rolling their eyes or suppressing laughter at her behavior.

"At ease, Lieutenant," Minna said, giving Barkhorn what actually looked like a proud a smile. The smile remained on her face as she placed the stack of papers she'd brought in onto the table and looked around the room. "It seems our victory has impressed most of your superiors. It's still pretty short notice, so I don't have reassignments for everyone yet, but it looks like most of you will be getting at least a few weeks of leave."

That was certainly welcome news. Mio didn't care about leave herself, but at least the wing was starting to get some respect for their achievements. In any case, she wasn't expecting to get any news about her own future right now. She still had to figure that out on her own. She'd already submitted her papers requesting a retirement, as she really had no choice left in the matter. If she didn't do that herself, she'd be forced into it, or else have to take a medical discharge. As long as it was just a retirement from active duty, it would be relatively easier for her to re-enlist off of the frontlines if she chose to. She didn't particularly relish that option, but it was certainly better than giving up the fight altogether.

After giving the girls a brief chance to cheer over the promise of leave, Minna picked up the paper at the top of the pile. "Sergeant Lynette Bishop," she said, and the girl in question perked up at the sound of her name. "You've been granted a week of leave, after which you are to report back to Britannia to rejoin the air force's 610th fighter wing. Details are here, but we can handle all the paperwork later."

"Thank you Ma'am," Lynette said, taking the paper from Minna before returning to her seat alongside Miyafuji. She didn't seem to be disappointed, or at least she didn't show any, over the fact that she only got a week of leave, which gained her a bit more of Mio's respect. She'd been reluctant to fight for a while, but she'd gotten a better sense of what she was fighting for since she'd started to participate in the reconstruction of Gallia, so perhaps that made her more enthusiastic to help liberate other countries.

It turned out that most of the other girls were getting more leave than Lynette, with Lucchini hitting the jackpot with a full month of leave before she was to join the 504th Joint Fighter Wing in protection of Romagna. Apparently she'd somehow managed to impress Duchess Maria of Romagna, who'd pulled a few strings for her. From the shocked look that passed Lucchini's face when this fact sunk in, Mio suspected that there was quite a story behind that. Minna and Hartmann were also given two guaranteed weeks of leave, with up to two more as long as no emergency came up requiring their participation, but Barkhorn wasn't mentioned along with them for some reason - though it seemed that Hartmann was more confused by this than Barkhorn was.

With Eila and Sanya ordered to Suomus after two weeks of leave, and Perrine granted an indefinite leave of at least a week to help with the reconstruction of Gallia, the stack of papers was exhausted, with a pair of thicker envelopes at the bottom of the pile being all that was left. Minna briefly looked over the names on the envelopes and said, "It appears that Liberion's orders haven't arrived yet, Shirley. You're on unofficial leave until they come in, which shouldn't be more than a couple of days."

"Stuck on base till then, eh?" Shirley said, letting out a sigh. "I guess it could be worse... I can still make a day trip to Romagna and see what all this fuss is about with the Duchess and Lucchini."

Minna nodded and smiled, and she looked down at the envelopes again. The only witches who had yet to receive their orders were Barkhorn and Miyafuji - aside from Mio herself, who wasn't expecting anything at this point - and most of the girls were wondering what the envelopes were about. "I have taken a few liberties with the proper protocols here, as it is more important to do this in front of all of us than it is to allow your own countries to perform the proper ceremonies once they've had time to set up." Minna said, causing a notable air of excitement to swell throughout the room at the implications. After a moment of teasing the girls with a coy smile, Minna picked one of the envelopes up and caught Mio's eye. "Major Sakamoto, you may do the honors with this one."

A private understanding passed between their eyes. Apparently Mio's work had paid off. She wasn't too happy about the fact that Miyafuji had lost her magical ability in saving Mio from the Neuroi, and this was really the least she deserved. Mio got up and took the envelope from Minna, peering into it to make sure it was what she'd expected. With a nod, she turned to Miyafuji. "Sergeant Miyafuji Yoshika, at attention!"

Miyafuji jumped to her feet and saluted. "Yes Ma'am!" She tried to hide her excitement and nervousness, but she never was very good at that.

Mio pulled a small case out of the envelope as she addressed Miyafuji. "Sergeant Miyafuji. In battle on the date of July 23rd, 1945, you performed above and beyond the requirements of duty. In participating in actions which led to the success of the mission, you risked and suffered grave personal injury." At a confused look from Miyafuji, Mio went off-script for a moment. "I was able to convince them that loss of your magical ability counts as an injury." She quickly switched gears to go back to the speech. "In light of this, you are hereby granted a medical discharge and awarded the Imperial Star." Mio opened up the case, revealing the medal to Miyafuji and the rest of the girls. "Congratulations."

Mio's final word was drowned out by the cheers of the assembled girls. Miyafuji was captured in a congratulatory hug by Lynette, and it took some time before she was finished receiving her congratulations and was actually able to take the medal. Out of the corner of her eye, Mio caught sight of Hartmann elbowing Barkhorn and saying that she must have been getting a medal as well, though Barkhorn insisted that she hadn't done anything to deserve one in the last battle.

When the group had finally calmed down, Minna took the final envelope and proceeded to settle that argument. "Flight Lieutenant Gertrud Barkhorn," Minna said, causing the last sounds of conversation around the room to be silenced. When Barkhorn was standing at attention, she continued, "The bad news is that you will not be receiving any leave. You are to depart tomorrow for Aachen, where you are ordered to enroll in the Karlsland Officer Training School for a one-month course in command."

Minna gave the implications a minute to sink in, and Barkhorn's face actually betrayed her nervousness for a moment before she was able to cover it up. "Understood, Ma'am!" Hartmann was a bit less discreet with her own excitement for Barkhorn, but a quick glare from Minna kept her from interrupting with congratulations before Minna was finished.

"Gertrud Barkhorn," Minna said, taking out a case from the envelope and opening to reveal Barkhorn's new insignia. "You are hereby promoted to the rank of Squadron Leader. It remains to be seen where you will be assigned, but I have no doubt you will make me proud. Congratulations, Trude."

To Barkhorn's credit, she tried to maintain her composure while accepting the promotion, but it was a lost cause in this squadron. Mio couldn't resist letting out a laugh when the combined efforts of Hartmann and Lucchini were able to trick Barkhorn into finally admitting that she was proud to have earned the promotion. It did seem a bit early for her to be promoted, but she was certainly ready for it, even if she might privately have her doubts. Minna would be needing someone to replace Mio, after all...

Mio shook her head. This wasn't the time to think about that. Right now was the time to start working on preparing Barkhorn for command. Training, even unofficial, could never start too soon.

X-X-X

"I'm glad to see that smile on your face, to be honest," Minna said once the door to her office had closed behind Mio. "I was worried you wouldn't take your retirement so well."

Mio let out a brief laugh. "I'm trying not to think too much about that part yet," she said, taking a seat at Minna's desk, across from her commanding officer. A victory in battle always did this for her; there was no greater thrill in life. It was one of the things she was going to miss most. Hopefully she'd find something else to replace it, though she hadn't yet figured out what. She had a suspicion that Minna had asked her in here to talk about it, though she wasn't going to get into that subject very easily. "I suppose Barkhorn is going to be your new second in command, then. She's certainly earned the position. Just make sure you don't overload her with paperwork, so she'll still have a chance to shine in battle."

"Really?" Minna said, not bothering to suppress her smile. "And just how much paperwork have you done, Mio? Did you think I was giving you special treatment?"

It took a second for Minna's statement to sink in, at which point Mio let out a laugh. "Of course. I was always much better at running drills, anyways. Though to be honest, there were times where I wished you wouldn't take on everything yourself."

Minna raised an eyebrow at this. "Didn't I tell you the same thing a couple days ago?"

Mio smiled at the memory. Minna did indeed make that point. They could probably both do with letting others take up some of their burden from time to time, though Mio was by far the worse culprit. "You did say that. And you're still right. I'll have to be careful when I don't have you to watch my back."

The smile dropped from Minna's face at those words. Apparently Mio wasn't the only one who was trying not to think too much about the future. "Trude can never replace you, Mio," Minna said.

There was something in her gaze that Mio couldn't quite identify, try as she might. "I'm sure she'll be fine. Officer school will teach her the rest of what she needs to know to be in command, and her own skills are top-notch. She's got me beaten in kills by miles, and you've known her longer than me too." Minna's gaze told Mio that she hadn't hit the mark. She was about to mention that Barkhorn would also be great at running drills and training new witches once she'd had some practice at it, but something in Minna's eyes told her that wasn't it. Something in the back of her own mind was telling her this as well. She'd been closer to the mark when mentioning that Barkhorn had known Minna longer. Minna's expression had faltered at that point, as if to correct Mio.

After an awkward silence, in which Mio failed to figure out what was going on despite her best efforts, Minna's eyes finally dropped to her desk. "Never mind," she said.

Despite the awkwardness, Mio wasn't particularly keen on dropping the subject, but she didn't want to push her friend. She'd have to find a way to come back to it later and figure out what was really bothering Minna. Minna had helped her out when she needed it, so Mio wasn't going to ignore something that was bothering her friend. Figuring out what to do about it was quite another matter, though.

"How's your eye doing?" Minna asked after a bit, finally looking back up at Mio - at her eyepatch in particular.

Mio smiled at this. She brought a hand up to flip up her eyepatch, revealing the violet glow of her eye to Minna. "I can't even call my familiar anymore, but this particular bit of magic has decided to stick with me. I only wish it was Miyafuji instead of me who wasn't completely drained."

"I wouldn't worry too much about her," Minna said. "You've seen what she can do. Give her a year, and I'm sure her magic will have grown back to where it was a week ago. It's really better that you still have something to work with."

"Hah! Perhaps. It wouldn't be the first time Miyafuji has surprised me." Mio let her eyepatch fall back down, giving her eye a bit of a rest. It was getting strained a bit faster than usual today, though it was still an improvement over yesterday, when its magic had left her completely.

"She is something," Minna said. She shifted in her seat to take a bit more formal of a posture. "But that wasn't why I asked. I received an odd message along with the rest of the orders. A telegram had come in for me that said, 'Tell Sakamoto if her eye still works, contact Roberta.' Any idea what that's about?"

Mio raised an eyebrow at this. There was only one person she knew by that name, though it wasn't someone she'd spoken to in over five years. "A colleague of Dr. Miyafuji's, who worked on the Striker Unit with him. I think she went on to work with the team who developed the Land Striker after Dr. Miyafuji died, but that was a while ago. I'll have to look her up and see what this is about." Somehow, that prospect had lit a fire within Mio. Someone else had already found a use for her. There was no way she was going to pass that opportunity up.

"Sounds interesting," Minna said. She hadn't missed out on Mio's enthusiasm, judging by the smile on her face. It soon gave way to a sigh, though. "Unfortunately, I really do have to get the paperwork done for all these transfers if they're to be mailed back today. I'll certainly appreciate the break from paperwork once my leave starts, if nothing else."

Mio was about to rise from her seat, but her earlier words to Minna rang in her ears, and she remained seated. "Don't think about giving me any special treatment, Minna. I'm helping out, and even holding a gun to my head won't stop me."

Minna tried to hold back a laugh and eventually failed. "Alright, Mio. You win. You always do."


	3. Stacking the Deck

**Author****'****s ****Note****:** Okay, the romance starts to pick up in this chapter, so those of you looking specifically for that, have no fear. I don't intend to push the rest of the world's storyline into the background, though, and so the continuing war will have quite an influence on how this fic progresses.

I've also decided to try to keep track of which elements I use here have a basis in canon and which don't, so that no one is caught off-guard if future seasons of the anime contradict what I have here. Of course, the specific events here aren't canon (with the exception of the first half of chapter 1), but a lot of the references might not be so obvious.

**Edits:** Fixed the formatting errors with italics text, and edited a couple lines to reflect new canon that I didn't read until after I'd written this. It isn't that big a change to the main thrust of it, just about the one time Minna actually was convinced to bathe with the other girls.

**Canonicity ****Notes****:**

_Chapter__ 1_

Mio and Minna's rooms: Mio's room is indeed outside the main building in canon, as seen in Ep. 11, though I wasn't able to find any shots of Minna's room, so that part is mine.

_Chapter__ 2_

Ranks: In the real world, Squadron Leader is the minimum rank that's allowed to be in command of a squadron. Trude mentions in one of the Drama CDs that her current rank of Flight Lieutenant qualifies her to be sub-commander of a squadron, which fits with this. (Minna's current rank of Wing Commander is one rank above Squadron Leader, which is also Mio's current rank.) Also, I'll be using the translation convention for ranks of simply using British RAF ranks for the witches; this was used for the most part in the first season, with the notable exception of "Major" Sakamoto. (The second season switched to Army ranks for some reason.)

Aachen: Exists in both the real world and canon. In canon, it has an airbase that Minna, Trude, and Erica were stationed at between the anime seasons, near the frontlines of the war. The presence of an Officer's School there is not canon.

Officer's School: No canon basis for this. I took this from real-world Germany's use of officer's schools, with a few modifications for the unique situation of witches.

Land Striker: Canon, though never featured very prominently. They're relatively slow and can't fly, but they have massively powerful shields and can spare the magical power to augment their weaponry.

Roberta: Not canon, though for my purposes she's the woman on the far left of the picture of Mio and Dr. Miyafuji that's shown a few times in the anime.

_Chapter__ 3_

(At the bottom of this chapter.)

X-X-X

**Title****: **Something to Live For

**Chapter****Rating****:** T

**Chapter**** 3:** Stacking the Deck

X-X-X

Minna had never suspected Mio of having an ulterior motive before; Mio was far too straightforward and honest for that. The problem was that the Fuso Witch had a way about her that made it seem as if she'd planned this all along. She was either an evil genius hiding behind a ridiculously elaborate facade to make it seem as if things came together for her accidentally, or she was inhumanly good at spotting and seizing opportunities as they came along. Knowing Mio, the latter was almost certainly the case, but that didn't make it any less infuriating.

It started with an innocent question. "Is that everything that needs to be done today?" Mio asked as she and Minna returned from mailing the signed orders.

"Yes it is," Minna said, checking her watch for the time. They still had over an hour before dinner, which was a fair bit more time than she'd expected to have off today. "Thank you for the help, Mio."

"Perfect," Mio said with a smile. When she held the door to the main building of the base open for Minna, she took the opportunity to raise an eyebrow at her commander. "That is, unless you've still got work left that you aren't telling me about, so that I won't be bothered with it."

Minna let out a gentle laugh at this as she entered the base. "Trust me, Mio. It's done. I'm free from paperwork at last."

Minna later wondered if an evil gleam had struck Mio's eye at that moment. She had a sudden sense of impending doom, but she couldn't put her finger on it until Mio spoke. "Good. In that case, you're coming with me."

Mio didn't waste a moment before she grabbed Minna's wrist and pulled her off down the hall. Minna tried to protest that she could follow Mio just fine herself, but her protests fell on deaf ears. When Minna finally figured out where Mio was leading her, she quickly realized the reason why Mio didn't trust her to follow: There were heading toward the baths, and Mio had just gotten Minna to admit that she had absolutely no work she had to do, depriving her of her standard excuse for avoiding the baths when anyone else was there.

It wasn't the real reason, but did Mio know that? Minna had acted a bit suspiciously on a couple of occasions, immediately finding an excuse to leave the baths when Mio had come in to find Minna already there. Most people would have gotten suspicious the second or third time it happened, but Mio wasn't necessarily one of those people. But whether Mio had gotten suspicious and was calling Minna's bluff, or whether she honestly thought there would be no problem now, Minna had to do something.

"Wait!" Minna said once Mio had pulled her into the locker room and finally let go of her wrist. "I can't do this now."

Mio turned back to Minna. She took a bit to reply, as she seemed to be put off by Minna's expression. Minna tried to cover up the mix of fear and nervousness on her face, but it was too late by that point. "Is something wrong?" Mio asked.

Minna closed her eyes and tried to focus. This was only a problem because she was making it one, but knowing that fact didn't make it any easier. "I'm sorry Mio..." she said. After a couple deep breaths, she opened her eyes. Mio was honestly concerned about her, and that fact was starting to frighten her more than anything else. She'd been far more open with her feelings for Mio than she would have risked with anyone else. She'd been counting on Mio being just as oblivious to her feelings as she was to Perrine's, but something had caused Mio to get suspicious, and there was no way Minna could keep hiding for long. Perhaps it would be best to finally get things out in the open, but she couldn't do it haphazardly. She had to regain control of the situation. Maybe she could still manage to sort things out on her own terms. She just had to play it carefully. "Not right now," she said simply, trying to regain her composure.

Mio was never one to back down, but at least this time Minna was prepared for it. It was simple if she thought of it in terms of a battle: Anticipate your foe's attack, defend, retreat, and then return to fight when the deck was stacked in your favor. Mio pressed forward: "What is it, Minna? As long as the 501st has been together, I think you've only taken a bath with the rest of us one time - and that took some convincing. Today is your last chance, and your only chance in the new bath. What's the problem? You know you don't have to worry about me being crowded by others in the bath."

That was a question she could handle. It wasn't one she particularly wanted to handle - at least, one she wanted to handle with the full truth - but Minna could work with it. But if she was going to give any ground there, she had to make sure it was worth it. "Alright Mio, I'll explain. But then you'll owe me an answer in return. Do we have a deal?" Minna gave half of a smile, with a bit of a playful expression on her face as she said this, and it had the desired effect on Mio.

After a hearty laugh that caused Minna's smile to expand just a bit, Mio replied, "Of course! You don't need to make a deal just to ask me a question."

_We__'__ll__ see __about __that__,_ Minna thought. She wasn't even sure if she would need that, but if Mio ended up being evasive about her own feelings, she would have that card to play. Add in the fact that Mio had kissed her while drunk, and she just might have enough to pierce through Mio's defenses. But now wasn't the time. She couldn't count on them being able to use the bath uninterrupted until much later in the evening. For now, it was time to retreat.

"Alright, I'll explain," Minna said. She took a seat on the bench and motioned for Mio to sit down beside her. This could take a bit. "There are a few reasons... I guess I'll start with the minor ones. We don't have a tradition of baths like this in Karlsland, like there is in Fuso or Romagna, so I never got used to the openness in them. But I guess that's not really much of an excuse at this point, is it? Trude and Frau were able to adjust to it, so I guess the real problem is that I never gave it a chance in the first place."

Minna leaned back and let out a breath. Mio was remaining silent until she finished, much to her relief. "You were right about the bath," Minna said. "It did help the unit bond together. But by the time I'd realized you were right, everyone had noted my absence from the baths, making it that little bit more awkward to admit I was wrong and give it a try. But I could still have worked through that if I wanted to.

"In the end, I thought that it was best to keep my distance. As much as I may hate having to be in command sometimes, someone does have to lay down the rules to keep us from falling into complete anarchy. And to maintain my authority, I do need to keep some professional distance from the rest of the wing, and this is a necessary part of doing that. I guess it also has the side benefit of giving the girls a safe space to complain about me if they need it."

After Minna was silent for a bit, Mio finally replied, "Hah! So that's it?" She turned on the bench so she could face Minna. "I can understand that, but you really didn't need to make such a big deal about hiding that reason."

"Well... that's not quite all..." Minna said, still not looking straight at Mio. She really didn't have to tell her friend this part. She could have left it as it was, but she was far past the point where she could feel alright with deceiving Mio. The problem was figuring out how to say this without tipping her hand too much. "It's also... about personal distance. I was uncomfortable about getting too close and what it might mean. But I think... I'm over that part now." It was really understating her case, and her own opinion on those matters had wavered quite a bit depending on her mood any given day, but she could explain the details later. She would have to. She would never be able to live with herself if she didn't at least try before Mio left her life.

"Well, if that's not a problem..." Mio said, a grin crossing her face. "Tonight then, after curfew, you and me, right here. If I'm retiring, then professional distance is no issue either. It's our last chance, so let's not waste it."

_Indeed__._ Minna finally let herself turn towards Mio, a smile crossing her own face. _Does __she__ realize __what__'__s __going __through__ my __mind__?_ "Alright, Mio. You win."

"Perfect!" Mio said. "So now! Your turn. What question did you have for me?"

Minna let out a brief chuckle, and she pushed herself off of the bench. "I think I'll save that for this evening, Mio. I just may need it then." Saving her explanation for later, Minna headed back to her room to try to come up with exactly how she was going to reveal her feelings to Mio.

X-X-X

Minna waited until just ten minutes before curfew to make her move. She wasn't sure how soon Mio would have come to get her for their scheduled bath, but she wasn't going to take any chances. The last thing she needed was the added discomfort of sharing a bath with Mio when she brought this subject up.

The problem with her plan first revealed itself to Minna as a faint itch in her mind. There was someone outside of the base, headed to Mio's room in front of her. It wasn't necessarily a bad thing, but it could make her timing a bit tighter if she had to wait for someone else to finish talking with Mio first. Taking a detour into a nearby hallway before she left the main building, Minna leaned against the wall and called her familiar, focusing her perception in the direction of Mio's room to see who was there, and so she would know when they were done talking.

That was when the problem with her plan came into distinct focus. _Perrine__!_ As obvious as it seemed now, it should have occurred to Minna earlier that Perrine would come to exactly the same conclusion as her and decide that it was her last chance to make her feelings known to Mio. Perrine had been getting less obvious about her feelings for Mio lately, and Minna had hoped that meant she was getting over her, but she might have been hoping for too much.

She wasn't worried about Mio returning Perrine's feelings - she had a hard time imagining Mio actually being together with Perrine, and if she was so far off of her assessment of Mio that she was wrong there, then she'd most likely never had a chance anyway. No, the real problem was with being the second person to confess her feelings to Mio that night. There was no way she could get Mio to think seriously about her own feelings if she was amused over the fact that two people had confessed to her in one night.

Waiting wasn't an option. Things would be too hectic the next day to fit in a conversation with Mio, with most of the squadron leaving throughout the day. Perhaps she could find an excuse to follow Mio wherever she went next, if only long enough to find a better opportunity. It was a possibility, though every instinct in Minna's body was pushing her to get this done tonight.

There was one other option: She could start with her trump card. Mio had kissed her, and it gave her the perfect excuse to ask about her friend's feelings. If she didn't bring up her own feelings right away, then it might not remind Mio of Perrine's confession, and she could probe at the other girl's true feelings safely.

Except... when she put things that way in her mind, it felt like exactly the wrong thing to do. It was manipulative. She couldn't treat Mio like a battle to be won. Perhaps she was going about this all wrong. Maybe simple honesty was best after all. It would certainly be what Mio would appreciate the most, even if it did end up seeming odd aft-

"Commander!" Perrine's voice jolted Minna out of her thoughts. She turned her head sharply towards the other girl. "Um... I... um..." Perrine turned away, as if to hide her face from Minna. "I'm sorry... If it's past curfew, just tell me what my punishment is and I'll do it after my leave ends."

Minna forced herself to forget about her own problems for the time being and quickly recalled her familiar. She needed to make sure Perrine was alright. "Perrine... despite what this may look like, I'm not here to bust you for being out a couple minutes past curfew." Minna said. She placed a hand gently on Perrine's shoulder and moved around so she could face the other girl. "Are you alright?"

Perrine kept her head down, not letting Minna get a good look at her face. "I think so..." Perrine took a deep breath and finally looked up at Minna, revealing her reddened eyes. "That took a lot out of me, but... I needed to do it..." After a moment, Perrine moved off to the side, taking a couple steps past Minna. "Commander... do you mind... keeping this a secret? I do have an image to maintain..."

It took Minna some time before she could reply. That wasn't what she would have expected out of Perrine, but it was certainly better than she'd feared. "Don't worry. I won't tell anyone." The only reply she got out of Perrine at this was a brief nod before Perrine was off to her room.

With a deep sigh, Minna decided that her best course of action was to simply return to her own room and wait for Mio to come by. She needed to think. Her conversation with Perrine had thrown her off again. The only explanation of Perrine's words that made any sense was that Perrine had confessed while knowing full well that Mio wouldn't return her feelings. If she thought her feelings might have been returned, there was no way she'd be doing that well. It certainly wasn't what Minna had expected, but it made more sense than anything else she could think of. Resigned, Minna left her post in the hall to head back to her room.

Perhaps this would actually make things easier on her. If Perrine was just confessing to get it off of her shoulders, or maybe to explain her past actions, it wouldn't be so similar to what Minna was doing. But somehow it still made her feel awkward. Maybe she just needed to wait until she was in the bath with Mio and then just hope the conversation drifted in the right direction. It could work. She had to do something, and if that was it, so be it.

When Minna reached her room, she took a chance to lie down and bury her face in her pillow, trying to get her mind into some semblance of order. She was making this harder than it needed to be, and she'd been doing that since she'd first admitted to herself that she felt something for Mio. Even after she'd finally accepted that loving someone was worth the risk of losing them, she still hadn't been able to muster up the courage to actually admit her feelings to Mio. She'd had plenty of chances when it would have made sense to confess to Mio, but she'd never been able to do it. If it was really too late now, she had on one to blame but herself.

The only thing that kept tears from forming in Minna's eyes at that moment was the knock on her door. The distraction actually came as a relief, as it gave Minna something else to focus on while she got up from the bed and straightened herself out so that Mio wouldn't suspect anything. She could do this, somehow. Not giving herself anymore time to think, Minna opened the door for Mio.

"Minna... I..." Mio said. Minna had about two seconds to notice the odd combination of nervousness and resolve in Mio's expression before her mind stopped noticing much of anything. The only thought that successfully registered in her mind after that point was that Mio was an even better kisser when she was sober.

When she would look back on that moment, Minna would wish she'd also had the presence of mind to breathe. She might have actually been able to remain conscious that way.

X-X-X

**Canonicity N****otes****:**

"Frau": Minna and Trude's nickname for Erica, as seen in the drama CDs among other places.

Minna bathing alone: She does have a reputation for this in canon, though the explanation is mine. The one time she did bathe with others was in a oneshot official doujin.


	4. The Hanged Man

**Author's Note:** I really appreciate everyone who's taken the time to review. Thank you all again! And also thanks to everyone who's just reading and enjoying this. I appreciate having you out there as well.

Also to note, I made a few edits to the last chapter to make it fit better with a canon oneshot doujin I read after writing, featuring the one time Minna actually did take a bath with the group. No major changes to how the story went, just a couple lines changed to account for that fact. (If I'd known it before, I might have ended up writing it differently, but it's not worth rewriting it all now.)

A few other notes on canonicity in past chapters occurred to me, so I'll post them here. And if you're ever wondering about anything, don't be afraid to ask.

**Canonicity Notes:**

_Chapter 2_

Eila's Tarot: She does use tarot often in canon, and on her accuracy, Yoshika mentioned in one of the Drama CDs that she'd been told things usually go the opposite way of Eila's predictions.

Imperial Star: Completely non-canon. The choice to use a star for it was from Fuso's flag, which has a red star instead of the red sun seen in Japan's flag.

504th JFW: Canon, seen at the beginning of episode 1 and the end of episode 12 of season 2. They're normally in defense of Romagna and Venezia, but the 501st took their place after the 504th suffered heavy casualties in episode 1.

X-X-X

**Title:** Something to Live For

**Chapter Rating:** T

**Chapter 4:** The Hanged Man

X-X-X

Mio had felt a distinct sense that there was something missing since she'd returned to her room after her evening training. It wasn't the first night she'd spent here since Reppumaru had been lost in battle, but its absence somehow felt more acute now. It took her quite a while to pin down just what the difference was, but it finally dawned on her when she had an urge to go right back out and resume her training rather than collapse onto her futon like she'd done most nights after training.

Her energy was back. She hadn't let herself notice how much Reppumaru had been draining her, as she wasn't willing to admit it. Her magical energy hadn't been nearly enough to fill the sword's thirst, so it had sapped at her physical energy as well. As hope surged within her, Mio tried to call out her familiar to see if her magic was starting to come back, but nothing came of it. She could feel the doberman's presence still bonded to her heart, but the magic just wasn't coming to her.

She'd burned herself out. As much as she might wish it weren't so, there was no avoiding that fact. In trying to prolong her lifetime on the frontlines, she'd ruined any chance she had of even being able to fly after her official retirement. A job in the Flight Evaluation Squad like her friend Kuroe was certainly off the table, though she probably wouldn't have been very good at it in any case. Going into command was a more likely possibility. She'd turned down more than one promotion that would have taken her off of the frontlines, but now that that particular choice was out of her hands, it might be worth it. Not being able to fly might hurt her chances, but her eye gave her an edge over any other retired witch. Aside from that, she always had the option of returning to the training academy to train new witches.

If she was honest with herself, neither option really appealed to her. She'd always been a fighter at heart. She could do command or training, but neither was her passion in life. As much as it may have taken out of her, she still didn't regret using Reppumaru to give herself a few last fighting months as a witch. Her only real regret was that she hadn't trusted Miyafuji enough. Perhaps if she'd let the girl decide her own path, and even helped train her to handle Reppumaru when she'd asked for it, Miyafuji wouldn't have lost her powers as well. There was no way to know for sure - Shin Reppuzan might have still been too far beyond Miyafuji for her to perform it safely, but it didn't stop Mio from regretting her choice. She just hoped that Minna was right that Miyafuji's magic would eventually grow back. She would have to keep tabs on the girl once they were back in Fuso, and make sure that she let Miyafuji choose her own path this time. She would love to be able to take Miyafuji on as her apprentice, but she had to leave the choice up to Miyafuji this time.

Mio was brought out of her thoughts by a knock at the door to her room. "Come in," she said, shaking herself away from her thoughts and turning to the door.

The door opened, and Perrine cautiously made her way through it. She kept her head down, as if afraid to meet Mio's gaze. She hadn't come to Mio's room before, but that was no reason for such nervousness. "Squadron Leader Sakamoto..." Perrine said, nodding at Mio and briefly meeting her gaze. "Do you... have a chance to talk?"

"Of course, Perrine," Mio said, before even thinking about it. Something about Perrine's tone of voice told her that this couldn't wait, even if it was getting close to curfew and Mio had been planning to see Minna soon. There was no reason that couldn't wait a bit, though. "Would you like to sit down?"

"No... er, maybe," Perrine said. She looked around for a chair for a bit before she finally thought to look downwards, finding a sitting area where Mio had placed some cushions. When Perrine was settled, Mio took a seat across from the other girl and waited for her to speak. "Squadron Leader..." she started, though she soon trailed off.

"It's alright," Mio said, trying to get Perrine to relax a bit. "I'm retiring... for now, at least. You can just call me 'Sakamoto-san.'"

Mio's comment at least succeeded in putting a blush on Perrine's cheeks. "Sakamoto... san..." Perrine said hesitantly. After a long moment, she let out a sigh, finally daring to look up into Mio's eye. "I've always idolized you, you know."

Mio considered laughing the comment off somehow, but now really wasn't the time. She decided to just smile at Perrine. "I know. And I'm glad - you've performed all the better for it."

Perrine's eyes dropped down again and she shook her head, though a smile on her face showed that she did indeed appreciate Mio's praise. "That's not it... well, not just idolized you. I was always trying to impress you, to get your attention. To tell you the truth... I... I..." Perrine turned her head to the side as her words started to fail her. "I don't know what I felt... Or what I feel..."

"Perrine..." Mio felt her hand drawn to the girl's shoulder as she tried to console Perrine somehow. She tried to avoid any thoughts about the tightness in her chest at hearing these words from Perrine. She knew she wouldn't be able to help Perrine figure out her own feelings, but she felt she had to do something. "Maybe... you don't have to label it..."

Perrine closed her eyes and chuckled, just for a moment. "But I did label it. I... loved you. Or thought I did." The tightness in Mio's chest struck again, but she tried not to let it show. She couldn't think of anything she could say that would help things. Every thought that went through her mind would have just made things worse, but fortunately, it turned out that silence was all Perrine needed from Mio right now. "Whatever I feel... I know you don't feel the same way about me. If... if you don't by now... then... then I just have to move on..."

Mio watched in silence as Perrine brushed her hand off of her shoulder and got up to walk past Mio, towards the door. Words fought at her tongue to get out, but she couldn't find any coherent way to put them together. She got up and turned to watch Perrine leave, until finally her heart was able to override her paralyzed mind. "Perrine. Wait."

Mio couldn't help Perrine explain her feelings. She couldn't even explain her own, though she knew they weren't the same as Perrine's. But she also couldn't let Perrine walk out of her room on the verge of tears without doing something. When Perrine paused in her step and slowly turned around, revealing wet eyes to Mio, Mio walked over to meet her. She placed a hand on each of Perrine's shoulders and leaned down, planting a kiss on Perrine's forehead.

The right words had to be inside her somewhere. Mio let her mind drift to all the times Perrine had shown affection to her, trying to piece together something she could say. As soon as she'd opened her mind to it, she realized just how blind she'd been. But as soon as that thought hit her mind, she pushed it aside, focusing again on what Perrine had said to her, and words finally came to her.

"It's up to you, and the rest of the squadron, to put an end to this war," Mio said, looking down at Perrine. She waited until she got eye contact with the other girl before she continued. "When you do, I'll take you up on your promise to see the reconstructed Gallia with my own eyes."

As soon as those words were out of her mouth, Perrine broke down. No longer fighting her tears, Perrine simply wrapped her arms around Mio and let herself cry into Mio's chest. Mio was worried for a bit, at least until she heard the words "Thank you" mixed in with Perrine's sobs. With a relieved sigh, Mio wrapped her own arms around Perrine's back and gave her the time she needed to get all her emotions out.

"Thank you..." Perrine said again as she was finally able to pull herself away from Mio. She was still quite emotional, but at least she'd stopped crying now. "I... I shouldn't keep you..." she said, backing towards the door. Mio was about to protest that it was alright, but Perrine didn't give her a chance before she'd left. Perhaps that was for the best, though.

Mio let out a deep sigh and shook her head. It was dumb luck that she was able to handle that well. She could have just as easily managed to say the wrong thing and hurt Perrine. In fact, she probably had done that to Perrine many times in the past. If she'd noticed the girl's feelings for her, she could have tried to be more sympathetic and tactful. Just how much stress had her own ignorance caused?

For a moment, Mio looked over at the door, thinking of her promise to take Minna to the bath, but for some reason she couldn't quite let that thought go. There was something that told her that she had indeed caused a lot of problems by not noticing Perrine's feelings, and so she just couldn't let it drop. Deciding to take some time to sit down and think this out before she went to see Minna so that she wouldn't end up distracted all night, Mio returned to the cushion she'd just vacated.

Perrine hadn't always been crazy about Mio. When they first met, Perrine only seemed to show pride, trying as much as she could to get a single win against Mio in a duel. Although she couldn't do that, her determination and skill were impressive enough that Mio secured her a transfer to the 501st. After that, Mio couldn't recall Perrine acting awkwardly around her for some time, though it did start to show up after Perrine had been in the squadron for a few months. Once Mio had her mind set to the task, she could see the signs all too clearly.

When Mio's memory got up to the point where Miyafuji had joined the squadron, she finally realized what it was that had been nagging at the back of her mind. Perrine's behavior had gotten a lot more erratic right after that point. Now that she knew about Perrine's feelings, it was all too obvious why. Mio had been planning to train Miyafuji as her apprentice since she'd joined, and so she'd gotten closer to her than she had to any other recruit. It was no wonder that Perrine had gotten upset.

When it came down to it, Mio had no one but herself to blame for that. She hadn't even considered Perrine for an apprentice, even if Perrine might have actually wanted it. She didn't even ask Miyafuji about her own wishes. She just assumed that the daughter of Dr. Miyafuji, who showed great magical potential, would be the best choice. And when her feelings on that had changed, and she felt that Miyafuji would have been better off staying out of the war, she didn't listen to her when she'd said differently. She'd even denied Miyafuji's requests to learn her sword techniques, which she would have gladly taught her while they were stationed in Brittania. She hadn't been paying attention to what others felt, and they'd suffered for it.

She couldn't do that any longer. Perrine's feelings had been far too obvious. If nothing else, Mio should have figured it out from the way Perrine had watched over her constantly while she was injured and unconscious. Or perhaps from the way Perrine blushed whenever she received the slightest praise from Mio, but shrugged off praise from anyone else. The tearful hug Perrine had given Mio when she'd returned alive from their last mission was certainly a big clue as well. Everyone else was happy, but they weren't moved to the point of tears just from seeing her alive. Well, everyone but Minna, that was. Minna had been just as broken up, but she was... she was...

Mio blinked. What was she?

_...The smile dropped from Minna's face. Apparently Mio wasn't the only one who was trying not to think too much about the future. "Trude can never replace you, Mio," Minna said, regret filling her eyes..._

_..."No one else can be what you are to me, for one example," Minna said, pulling Mio out of her thoughts and sending her down quite a different path, as she tried to figure out just what she was to Minna..._

_...The sharp headache of a remembered hangover. A blow to her head as she tried to save Minna from the falling urn. The delusional idea brought on by that blow to the head that she might be able to drink herself free. Sudden freedom. The sight of Minna's tear-stained cheeks and her shocked face. The feel of... of... a headache from trying too hard to remember..._

_..."The next time you go into battle, you won't make it out alive," Minna said, holding Mio at gunpoint to keep her from getting herself killed._

"_So in that case, by your own hand... is that it?" Mio replied. It made no sense. And it made even less sense coming from Minna. "Such a paradox. It's not like you."_

"_No! That's not it!" Minna said desperately. Her whole body trembled, and her eyes were on the verge of tears. What was it, then? Mio had never asked that question. She'd ignored it. She'd ignored everything. But she couldn't ignore it any longer._

"_Then what is it, Minna?" Mio said, taking a step forward as she rewrote the scene in her mind. "Why are you acting like this? ...What am I to you?"_

_Minna froze. She didn't answer. She couldn't. She hadn't answered back then. She hadn't even been asked. But a few nights ago, Mio did ask..._

_..."What am I to you?" Mio asked as she sat down on Minna's bed. Minna's body tensed up in an instant. The question had gotten to her, and she was searching for an answer. When at last she had one, Minna opened her eyes to look up at Mio._

"_You're Mio," she said. That simple sentence contained her answer. Minna hadn't called Mio the sub-commander of the squadron. She hadn't called her a friend, even a good friend. Mio was something more to her. Something she couldn't put into words. Something she never had put into words, but which she'd put into all of her actions. Mio had felt it, but she never noticed it. All of Minna's actions, all of her support, all of her words, and all of the hidden meaning behind her words... Mio had felt it all..._

"Minna..." Mio's eyes refocused on the room around her. Finding the door, she pushed herself up and started walking. Her pace sped up as she made her way through the base. All the while, her mind tried to catch up, to figure out her own feelings so she could know what to say to Minna. But as soon as her mind raised the question, her heart answered it. It had already decided for her; she just hadn't allowed herself to even consider the possibility of such feelings.

Mio had already knocked on Minna's door by the time her mind caught up to her and realized she was standing in front of it. She quickly tried to work up a script. Should she start with Minna's feelings, or her own? Should she apologize for being so blind? Should she try to give Minna a chance to confess?

The door opened. "Minna... I..." Mio's script was blank. But at this point, she didn't care. She was never any good at talking about her own emotions. She'd had no need to be. She could work on it later. Right now, she needed to follow her heart.

Mio stepped forward, her hands reaching around Minna to hold the back of her head. Instincts awakened in Mio that she didn't know she even had, and she tilted her head to the side as she pressed her face forward, meeting Minna's lips with her own. Mio's eyes closed as she focused on the feeling of Minna's lips, which very quickly began to move back against hers. Mio may have lacked in experience compared to Minna, but she would never lack in heart.

She wanted to feel every millimeter of Minna's lips, to feel every different way Minna could move them against hers. She wanted Minna to know that she never had to be afraid to love, and she wanted to make every moment so amazing for her that she would never worry about it ending. She wanted to taste Minna, and she found her tongue tracing along Minna's lips. She started at the outside, circling slowly around before she moved in. Minna's lips opened invitingly, and Mio started to slip her tongue inside.

The pressure of Minna's lips against hers loosened slightly. As the rest of Minna's muscles started to slacken, Mio pulled back in a moment of alarm. She wasn't apart from Minna for long though, as the other girl's head soon leaned forward to bury itself into Mio's neck, and Mio heard a contented hum coming from Minna. It took Mio a few moments to piece together what had happened. She'd caught Minna by surprise, and she hadn't given her a chance to breathe since the kiss had begun. It was no wonder that Minna had fainted on her.

With a light chuckle, Mio adjusted Minna in her arms so she could carry her comfortably, and she headed off towards the bath. They had a lot to discuss, and she could think of no better place.

X-X-X

**Canonicity Notes:**

Mio's apprentice: Mio mentioned in one of the drama CDs that her goal once her powers had faded was to take on an apprentice. It isn't hard at all to see that she had Yoshika in mind, at least during Season 1.

Perrine showing Mio the reconstructed Gallia: Canon, from chapter 8 of the "season 1.5" manga, "The Sky that Connects Us." Mio got a tearful hug when she mentioned that she liked the idea at the end of the chapter.

Mio and Perrine's first meeting: Also from the drama CDs. Perrine demanded 17 straight duels from Mio when Mio came to look for new recruits for the 501st, and then demanded one more when she woke up from the infirmary after passing out.

Kuroe: Canon. Mio dueled her in chapter 7 of "The Sky that Connects Us." Her powers have decreased little since turning 20, so she's still able to contribute by testing prototype strikers.


	5. Nothing to Hide

**Author's Note:** Thank you to everyone who keeps reading and reviewing. Feedback is what really helps keep me going with writing this. This chapter isn't quite the end of the story, though I may end up continuing it in a sequel story, splitting it, or something. We'll see.

As a very amusing canonicity note, the translation to the first of the Himeroku drama albums was released since my last chapter, and some of what it said actually aligns pretty well with a brief comment I made earlier. Another part was actually talking about a character I was planning to use later in the story, Adolfine Galland, and also matched up with my planned characterization. Though at least in this case, it's likely because I took inspiration from her historical counterpart, Adolf Galland. But anyways, you don't care about that part right now, do you? Onto Mio...

**Canonicity Notes:**

_Chapter 4_

Mio's promotions: I mentioned last chapter that Mio had turned down offers of promotion. This had no basis in canon when I wrote it, but it actually has an implied basis now if you put a few details together. She mentions in the Himeroku album that she was recently promoted to the rank of Squadron Leader (well, it probably should be Lieutenant Commander, which is the navy equivalent) in Fuso's navy. Now, it's also mentioned in various places that witches in a Joint Fighter Wing earn a temporary promotion of one rank. This worked out fine in season 1, when she was a Lieutenant in the navy and a Squadron Leader in the 501st. However, in season 2, she would be expected to be a Wing Commander (like Minna) while she's in the 501st.

So, my explanation is that she declined that temporary promotion as she didn't want to be saddled with the responsibilities of command. The promotion might have also meant that she should have been transferred to another JFW so there wouldn't be the problem of having the sub-commander of the wing being the same rank as the commander, so she'd also have had to refuse it to keep fighting with the 501st.

Yeah yeah, this seems like a bunch of fanwank, but the writers for this series have surprised us in the past with their attention to detail. They really do seem to think of everything, so I wouldn't be surprised if they've thought of this rank discrepancy as well and have their own explanation for it.

X-X-X

**Title:** Something to Live For

**Chapter Rating:** T

**Chapter 5:** Nothing to Hide

X-X-X

Minna had to be dreaming. It made far more sense than Mio suddenly falling for her or realizing her own feelings. It was slightly more likely that Mio was drunk again and Minna just hadn't noticed the scent of alcohol on her breath this time. But even accounting for that possibility, a dream was still the most likely explanation. After all, she had been lying down in her bed with her face buried in her pillow. It would have been quite possible for her to fall asleep and then dream that Mio came to her room to kiss her.

The problem was that it didn't feel like her bed that she was lying on right now. She was trying not to think too hard about that part, though. If she was dreaming, she'd prefer to get back to it... at least until Mio came to her room to wake her up for their bath together. She'd certainly be willing to wake up for that.

With this thought, Minna tried to adjust her position on her bed so she could think about it more comfortably and hopefully lead her dreams in that direction. By the time she realized that she definitely wasn't lying on her bed, she could already start to feel herself losing balance and falling off to side.

"Woah!" came Mio's voice, as Minna was prevented from falling too far. Mio's hand had caught her upper arm before she'd completely fallen off. Her eyes blinked open to find the sight of Mio looking down at her with worry. "Be careful, Minna, you're on the bench in the changing room now. Sorry... leaving you on the floor seemed a bit undignified."

"It's alright," Minna said. Her mind felt a bit numb as it tried to reconsider the possibilities of what had happened to her, while at the same time it tried to avoid any thoughts about how nice it felt to have Mio hold her arm like that. With a little help from Mio she was able to sit up, and as Mio's hand left her arm, she let out a relieved breath. That was one distraction gone, at least. "Thank you, Mio," she said, her thoughts going right back to trying to figure out just what had happened to her.

Mio had kissed her. She'd fainted, both from the shock and from the fact that she'd forgotten to breathe. Mio must have carried her to the baths from there, where she'd waited for Minna to recover. What had happened was easy to figure out. The hard question was "Why?" A minute of thought didn't lead her any closer to an answer, so Minna tried to shake those thoughts out of her head and just ask Mio directly.

"Mio..." Minna started, though the sight of Mio stripping off her clothes in front of her proved quite the distraction. Was Mio actively trying to make this as difficult for her as possible? As soon as Minna realized that Mio wasn't going to show any signs of modesty in front of her, she quickly turned her head to the side to prevent any further distractions.

"How are you doing?" Mio said after a minute. Minna risked turning her head back, and she was relieved to find that Mio had at least wrapped a towel around herself now. "You can take some more time to recover if you need it. The water is still heating up, so there's no need to rush."

"Right... thanks," Minna said. This was no good. Her mind was having trouble connecting any thoughts together while Mio was standing in front of her, clad only in a towel. "I think..." she said, forcing herself to look up at Mio's face. "I'll still need a few minutes. You can go ahead to the bath, and I'll join you there."

It turned out that Mio actually wasn't trying to make things difficult for Minna, as she seemed to pick up on the unstated request. Perhaps Mio was actually starting to get more perceptive. "Alright. I'll see you in a few minutes," Mio said, smiling softly at Minna. She patted her friend on the shoulder and walked out to the bath.

Minna let out a breath she didn't even know she'd been holding. She needed a chance to clear her head before she faced Mio again. If this all wasn't a dream, and Mio wasn't simply drunk - which she certainly didn't seem to be - then she had every reason to be ecstatic. She just hadn't been ready for that possibility. She'd been expecting an uphill battle to get Mio to face any of her feelings, and even then Minna hadn't been counting on things going her way. There was no real reason she should be upset at this development, but it was certainly disconcerting.

Of course, people didn't simply change overnight. There had to be an explanation for Mio's actions, and Minna was sure that Mio would willingly share it with her if she just asked. All she had to do was to ask Mio about that kiss, and she could work from there. That hint of a plan was all Minna needed to get herself moving again. She could already feel some of the steam wafting in from the bath, so she wasted no time in stripping off her own clothes and wrapping a towel around herself.

Minna went out to join Mio in the bath before her sudden wave of courage abandoned her. Mio had already gotten in and stripped off her towel, where she was currently lying back with her eye closed, but the steam provided enough cover that Minna didn't have to spend all of her concentration just fighting the urge to gaze at Mio's body. It also made it a bit easier for her to work up the courage to drop her own towel as she got into the bath, sitting just across from Mio. Of course, Mio had to choose exactly the moment that Minna dropped her towel to open her eye. How she found ways to fluster Minna so easily and naturally, Minna would never know, but she tried not to let it show.

"I'm sorry," Mio said once Minna had sat down and gotten comfortable.

Minna caught Mio's eye, trying to make sense of that statement. Was Mio apologizing for kissing her? "You don't have to apologize, Mio... I-"

"No, I do," Mio said, cutting Minna off. "I should have noticed your feelings long ago. You all but confessed to me last year... and then again a couple nights ago. I really have no excuse for being that blind. I'm sorry."

Minna could feel her heart beating rapidly in her chest. She could feel a slight blush rising to her cheeks as Mio spoke, and she tried to fight it off. This was a new side to Mio. She certainly wasn't complaining, but it was off-putting. "It's alright, Mio. I wasn't trying to confess to you back then. I was actually trying to keep it hidden... I guess I just underestimated you. I was actually planning to confess tonight... but I never expected you to get to it before me."

Minna turned her head to the side when she admitted that she was planning to confess. It almost felt like she was actually doing it now. Though maybe she should... it was a good opportunity. At least, it had been a good opportunity up until Mio waded across the bath to sit down beside Minna, right in front of where her head was turned. Mio placed a hand under Minna's chin, gently turning her head up to hold her gaze.

"No more hiding," Mio said, with just the slightest smile on her face. "That's one of the things I like most about the bath: There's no way to hide ourselves from each other. The only choice is to be completely open."

If Minna had been looking for a sign that it was time to confess, she had it now. She reached up to take Mio's wrist in her hand, pulling the other girl's hand up so she could plant a kiss on the back of it. Looking back up into Mio's eye, she let the words flow out of her. "I love you, Mio. For at least a year now. I tried to deny it, and later to ignore it, but it just grew. I tore myself into knots trying to keep anyone in the squadron, especially myself, from falling in love, for fear that they would just lose it in the war, but I was wrong to do so. Even if I never see you again after tomorrow, a moment like this makes it worth all the pain I might feel."

Mio's smile slowly spread, and Minna felt like her confidence had finally returned to her in full. Before Mio had a chance to reply, Minna leaned forward to plant a kiss on Mio's lips. She'd intended for it to just be a light kiss, to cement her love for Mio, but Mio didn't let her pull away. She pressed forward, moving her body closer to Minna's and placing a hand on Minna's hip while they kissed.

A gentle warmth filled Minna's chest as Mio continued to kiss her. Mio might not have been good at talking about her own feelings, but Minna had her reply. Whether or not Mio even knew if she loved Minna back, there was no mistaking the emotion behind her kiss. Mio's lips moved slowly and affectionately, with the confidence that only love could bring, but none of the neediness that would have been brought on if she were driven simply by lust - which Minna had certainly felt when Mio had drunkenly kissed her previously.

Mio pulled back from the kiss before too long, not letting Minna risk running out of air this time. "I love you too," Mio said, which caused Minna to choke on her breath briefly and risk running out of air anyways. She had not been expecting that to come out of Mio's mouth so soon. There was a bit of nervousness in Mio's voice from admitting it, but she wasn't doubting herself. "I don't know when or how it started... but I know it now." The hand on Minna's hip started to move a bit. Mio just stroked her leg slowly; she wasn't pushing things to become more intimate, but just casually showing a bit more affection.

Minna felt a surge of warmth in her chest again. Mio really had changed. "I have to know, Mio... What's gotten into you?" Minna said. It wasn't that the change wasn't welcome, but that wasn't going to stop Minna from wondering.

Mio chuckled a bit. "I've been thinking a lot," she said. "My life is changing, whether I like it or not, and I want to do better from here on out." There was a brief flash of regret in Mio's eye, but it soon passed. "As for me figuring this out... I guess I have Perrine to thank for that. She came to me to confess her own feelings for me. I think she just felt she needed to get it out. After she left, I started wondering how I could be so blind to her feelings... and I guess it just dawned on me that I'd been equally blind to your feelings." Mio paused for a moment, smiling at Minna. "Although... my reaction was rather different to finding out about your feelings. And well... any way I looked at it, I knew that I felt just as strongly as you. I just never identified it as love before."

Minna brought a hand up to Mio's shoulder, stroking it down the length of Mio's arm. She held Mio's gaze as she did this, watching for any hint that her touch wasn't welcome, but none was present. It would take her some time to get used to being this open with Mio... if she even had that time. But no, she wouldn't think like that. There was no reason to worry anymore. She'd confessed before it was too late, and Mio felt the same way. They could make it work, even if their duties kept them apart most of the time. She would figure out a way.

But not tonight. Whatever might happen in the coming days, she had this moment with Mio, and she wasn't going to waste it. "Just one more thing, Mio, while we're being completely open..." Minna said. A smile tugged at her lips as the memory came back to her. "You kissed me." Minna waited just long enough for confusion to register on Mio's face before she clarified with a brief shake of her head, "Before tonight. It was back in the cave, when you were drunk. The first thing you did when I tried to make sure you were alright was to kiss me." The look on Mio's face was priceless. Shock and embarrassment warred on her face, and it looked like she was actually about to apologize. Minna didn't give her the chance, though, and she pressed harder. "It was a very... deep kiss." It was hard to tell, but Minna suspected that she actually saw a hint of a blush on Mio's cheeks. "With tongue."

That did it. There was a definite blush on Mio's cheeks now. Mio began to scramble for something to say. "Er, well... I..." Minna pressed a finger to Mio's lips to quiet her. Perhaps she hadn't needed to put the details in quite that manner, but getting to see Mio this flustered was a rare treat. On top of that, she had the upper hand now, and she intended to make the most of it.

"Mio," Minna said, "I love you." With those words, Mio noticeably relaxed. There was no need for her to apologize for her actions, and her own feelings more than explained them. "Now..." Minna said. She turned in her seat, pulling apart from Mio. After a second to gather her courage, Minna stood up. She watched Mio's eye carefully, pleased to find that the other girl took full advantage of the opportunity to look over her naked body. She had her.

With just a beckoning of her finger, Minna turned around and headed back to the changing room. It might not have been as long of a bath as Mio had planned, but staying in wasn't worth losing the momentum she'd built up. Minna dried herself off quickly, though she made sure that it didn't look like she was in a rush. She paused for a moment when she heard footsteps coming into the room from behind her, and she turned back to give Mio her best sultry smile. She wasn't going to risk ruining the moment with any words, but luckily, the smile seemed to be enough. Mio gave her a nervous smile in return, and she proceeded to change alongside Minna.

Minna wasn't entirely sure that Mio understood her intentions, but she waited until she'd left the changing room and taken a turn down a hallway toward her bedroom to make her move. She paused in her step there and turned her head. Just as Mio came into view, she brushed a lock of hair away from her face and said in a low voice, "Where do you think you're going, Mio?"

Mio was a bit confused by this question, which was exactly Minna's intended reaction. She hadn't even waited until Mio had gotten far enough into the intersection to either turn to follow her or continue straight, towards her own room. "Um... I was..." Mio started to say, though she wasn't able to finish her thought.

Minna gave a quick chuckle at this. She turned back fully and took a few steps toward Mio. Holding the girl's gaze, Minna placed both of her hands onto the sides of Mio's head. "Allow me to answer that for you." She pressed in, allowing her body to touch up against Mio's as she caught the other girl's lips in a long kiss. Her arms moved forward slowly, wrapping around Mio to pull the two of them tightly together. Minna lingered a bit at first, just feeling the texture of Mio's lips with her own and allowing Mio to relax into the kiss. As Mio's lips began to relax and loosen up, Minna returned the favor from earlier, allowing her tongue to slip forward, between Mio's lips. She slid it slowly over Mio's own tongue, then casually around in her mouth. She could feel Mio slowly melting in her arms, to the point where Minna's grasp on her seemed to be all that was holding up upright. When at last Minna couldn't go another second without a breath of air, she pulled back. "Any questions?" she whispered after a quick breath of air.

Mio gasped for breath, and Minna noticed that another blush had formed on her cheeks. "I... I..." Mio's eye closed for a moment. Minna allowed her that chance to refocus, although she didn't pull back from the other girl or loosen her arms. Mio opened her eye again. "No questions." She closed her eye and let a smile split across her face. "I love you, Minna."

X-X-X

**Author's Note:** ...And fade to black. Fade back in for the next chapter right after the action. In this case, I should clarify that by "the action," I mean the walk to Minna's room. We can skip that part. The rest? I'm not that cruel. Though I may decide to put that scene in a standalone chapter so I can keep this one lemon-free and rated T.

To be honest, this chapter was rather tricky to write. As ochita127 pointed out in a review, it feels a bit like Mio is OOC here. The trick to that is that writing Mio in a relationship at all feels OOC for her. There's absolutely no canonical basis for how she'd act in a more intimate situation - well, once she's past the point where she's actually realized it's an intimate situation, that is. So the only way to write her that wouldn't end up feeling OOC would be to write her as non-relationship Mio... which just doesn't make that much sense at this point in the fic.

So, since this chapter wasn't written from her perspective, I'll give you a bit of insight into how I pictured her thought process developing: At first, where she's more confident, it's because she's decided for herself that now that she's in this, she's going to pursue it with all of her heart. She still doesn't have that much experience with it, so she stumbles for words a bit with her own feelings, and she only decides on the word "love" because Minna used it first. At other times she just tries to show it with her actions more than her words. After that point, once Minna brings up Mio's drunken kiss, Mio starts to feel out of her depth. Her vulnerability at that point also seems a bit OOC, but again, it's something that never came up in the anime (well, she was also vulnerable in episode 11, but it was quite a different circumstance). Part of writing fanfic is exploring new situations for characters and seeing how they'd react, and this is completely untrod ground for Mio. I'll have to write something from her perspective next to better illustrate her thought process - it's probably the more interesting here.

I do hope to hear more feedback on this. Please do let me know what you think about how this feels for Mio, and if you could imagine her more likely acting differently.


	6. Fly by Night

**Author's Note:** Sorry for the wait on this chapter. It's a bit longer than the others, and I wanted to make sure it was just perfect. I decided to keep this chapter in with the rest of the fic, as isn't simply a PWP chapter, but there's actual plot here as well.

Thank you again for the many reviews, and I hope you all enjoy this chapter!

X-X-X

**Title:** Something to Live For

**Chapter Rating:** M

**Chapter 6:** Fly by Night

X-X-X

Mio had lost control of the situation. She wouldn't have said she'd ever had this particular situation in her complete control, but she'd lost even the slightest semblance of control once Minna had told her about what she'd done while drunk. Even if Minna was alright with it - and perhaps had even enjoyed it - Mio herself was still trying to adjust to it. Forcing a kiss on a superior officer, whatever excuse she might have for it, was near the bottom of the list of acceptable conduct for a soldier. The fact that this particular squadron was full of other girls who came even closer to the bottom of the list on a daily basis provided little comfort to Mio. She was supposed to be better than that.

Unfortunately, by the time her mind had convinced itself that no one would blame her for what she'd done, having been drunk as a result of trying to save Minna's life, Minna had already taken full advantage of Mio's moment of weakness. And then as soon as Mio had adjusted to that, Minna pulled it off again. There was one upside to all of this, though: Mio found herself enjoying this form of coercion much more than having a gun pointed at her head.

Perhaps she'd have come to this point herself a bit later in the evening anyway, but Mio wasn't going to argue with the results. She knew she was ready for this, even if it was all new to her. Everything just seemed to make sense now. She was free to finally appreciate just how beautiful Minna was, from the sight of her wet, dripping, and naked as she stood up in the bath, to the look she gave Mio as she turned to see if Mio was following her. Minna wanted Mio to look at her that way, and Mio was only too happy to oblige.

Mio found her first opening from Minna's control when Minna turned to close the door to her bedroom behind the two of them. As soon as it was shut, Mio stepped forward, capturing Minna between herself and the door. Minna barely had time to turn around before she was securely under Mio's control. Mio met Minna's surprised expression with a smile, and she pressed her body forward until Minna was squeezed between Mio and the wall, being careful to keep her lips just a millimeter apart from Minna's. "You didn't think I would let you take control that easily, did you?" she said, issuing a challenge with her gaze.

It took just a second for Minna's eyes to meet the challenge. Mio felt a hand come to rest on her back, slowly sliding its way downwards. A single finger traced along her spine as the hand descended, forcing Mio to let out an involuntary shiver. With a trace of amusement in her eyes, Minna said, "I don't believe you realize just who the experienced one is here, Mio." Another hand found its way to Mio's arm, and a pair of fingers slowly walked their way up to her shoulder. "Neither of us may have gone this far with another before... but something tells me you've never taken the time to even figure out how your body will respond to touches such as this."

Minna's hand dipped a bit lower, gently cupping Mio's butt. The unexpected wave of warmth that emanated from this touch caused Mio's body to tense up for a moment, and it derailed her current train of thoughts, which up until that point had been trying to figure out just what Minna was implying. Her moment of distraction turned out to be all Minna needed to continue her assault on Mio's senses, with a pair of lips that came forward to plant a soft kiss just to the side of Mio's mouth.

Another kiss followed this, just a bit farther away from her mouth. As the kisses proceeded, Mio found herself instinctively turning her head to the side and rolling it back to give Minna better access to her neck. The lips paused in their progress once they reached Mio's pulse point to give it a long, lingering kiss. Minna sucked in gently, and it felt to Mio like all of her conscious thoughts were being sucked out through the kiss.

When Mio's body began to shudder, Minna wrapped her arms around Mio to hold her up, and she pressed forward, taking back control of the situation. Mio wasn't in a position to argue at the moment. Her challenge had been met, and even if she'd wanted to at this point, she wouldn't have been able to turn the tables on Minna. She would be sure, though, to remember everything that Minna did to her so she could properly repay her lover as soon as she had the chance.

Mio felt the back of her legs press up against the side of Minna's bed as she was pushed backward, and she let herself fall down onto it. Minna pressed a hand against Mio's chest briefly as she took a step backwards. She held Mio's gaze and blew her a quick kiss as her hands found the top button of her uniform. She didn't waste too much time removing her uniform, though when she got to the blouse beneath it she decided to slow things. After each button she undid, she pulled the shirt apart above it, revealing the flesh of her chest to Mio centimeter by tantalizing centimeter.

After the last button was undone, Minna made as if to strip off her shirt, but she paused as she took the two sides of it into her hands. A mischievous smile crossed her face, and she kicked off her shoes and stepped back towards Mio. She let go of the blouse as she crawled onto the bed, though not too much was revealed at first. Mio backed up and lay down as Minna did this, and the blouse finally fell open as Minna crawled up so she could look down at Mio. "I can't let you make me do all the work, now can I?" Minna said with a smirk.

A grin slowly spread across Mio's face at the invitation. She brought her hands up to Minna's shoulders to pull the blouse down and off of her lover, tossing it off to the side of the bed. She felt herself starting to breathe deeply as she took a moment to simply gaze at Minna's naked chest. She'd never cared much about breast size before, but seeing Minna's breasts in this context certainly made her appreciate them. She began to reach out a hand to feel Minna's breast, but Minna made her own move just a bit faster, leaning in to start unbuttoning Mio's uniform. Mio scowled and relented for the moment. She'd get her chance soon enough.

Minna seemed to notice the scowl on Mio's face as she undid the last button. Taking a break from undressing Mio, she crawled back up so she could lean down and brush her lips against Mio's. There was a soft expression in her eyes as she tried to coax the scowl off of Mio's face. Mio tried to resist a bit at first, but the urge to return Minna's kiss eventually overwhelmed her. Minna let out a pleased hum at this, and she began to pull off Mio's uniform, being careful not to break their kiss as she did so.

With a bit of help from Mio, the uniform was thrown clear of the bed. Minna took a brief break from the kiss to grab a breath of air, and she returned to give Mio an even deeper kiss. She hungrily began to devour Mio's lips as her hands began to work on stripping off Mio's swimsuit. The touch of Minna's fingers against her flesh was starting to cause a need to well up within Mio's chest, so she was more than willing to give Minna the assistance she needed to get the straps of her swimsuit off of her arms.

Minna's lips suddenly disappeared from Mio's mouth, leaving Mio to gasp for breath. Minna repeated her trick of kissing a path across Mio's face, but she moved downward this time. Before Minna could get to her neck and further distract Mio, Mio tried to take the chance to return at least some of this pleasure to her lover. She brought her hands to Minna's back, trying to stroke her fingers slowly across Minna's it. The task became more difficult with the added distraction of Minna kissing at her neck, but a pleasant hum told Mio that her efforts weren't going unappreciated.

Minna kept kissing downward, placing her final kiss just above Mio's swimsuit. She took a moment to adjust herself so she could sit up a bit, a faint blush on her cheeks confirming that Mio had indeed been doing something right with her hands. They couldn't reach Minna's back now, but Minna took one of Mio's hands in her own and guided it her breast. That was one invitation that Mio couldn't refuse, so she took the chance to feel the breast for all it was worth.

It didn't take Mio long to figure out that no matter what she did to Minna's breast, Minna seemed to love it. Minna had closed her eyes and was breathing heavily, the blush on her face slowly deepening. She let out a gasp when Mio brought up her other hand to attend to the other breast, and her smile soon widened. Mio found herself smiling as well as she took the chance to hold both of those lovely mounds in her hands. They were far softer than she ever would have suspected, and she found that she just couldn't get enough out of massaging and squeezing them.

Minna couldn't get enough either, but she did eventually make a move for more. Keeping her arms low so they wouldn't block off Mio's access again, Minna tugged at the top of Mio's swimsuit until she was able to roll it down past Mio's breasts. Mio had barely felt the air touch her nipples before Minna's hands had cupped both of her breasts. Minna got to work quickly, kneading the flesh in her hands until Mio was far too distracted by the pleasure building in her chest to even think about returning the affection to Minna.

When Mio's hands fell off of Minna's breasts, Minna adjusted herself and leaned forward again, letting her mouth find its way to Mio's chest. After a single quick kiss to the top of Mio's breast, Minna removed her hand from the breast and replaced it with her mouth. The sudden warmth caused Mio to let out a gasp, which was followed by yet another gasp when Minna's tongue flicked across her nipple. A thought briefly ran through Mio's mind, wondering where Minna had figured out tricks like that, but she stopped caring as soon as Minna's tongue began to circle around her nipple. _I'll ask... later..._

"Minna..." The name came unbidden to Mio's lips. She was caring less and less about showing such signs of pleasure, though. She didn't even fight the moan that came out of her throat next. It felt so much better to just let it out, and it only seemed to encourage Minna to work harder. She'd found Mio's weak point now, and she was exploiting it for all it was worth. A brief reprieve came to Mio after a few minutes of this attention, though the assault on her senses resumed when it turned out that Minna was just switching to give Mio's other nipple the same attention.

A pair of fingers grasped the abandoned nipple, sending a soft bolt of pleasure through Mio's chest as they gave it a gentle pinch. Minna kneaded the breast with the palm of her hand for a bit, mixing in a few more pinches to keep Mio off-balance. Mio might have been able to get used to the constant pleasure from Minna's soft touch, though every pinch shook her focus. Even the nipple inside Minna's mouth wasn't spared this torment; Minna gave it a very gentle bite which caused Mio to let out a sharp moan from the jolt of pleasure.

Mio's mind started to blank as the assault continued. She didn't know if she could take it much longer. She needed something, but she had no idea what. Even if she had known, she was in no position to be able to properly vocalize it. Her strained moans finally seemed to get through to Minna, and she got a much-needed break. Minna slowed down her attentions and then pulled back from Mio's breasts, giving her a chance to recover.

The feeling of the back of Minna's finger tracing down her cheek helped Mio refocus her vision on the sight of loveliness above her. "Forgive me, Mio..." Minna said softly. "I've really just read about this... It'll take me some practice to get it all right so I don't give you too much without release."

"It's... it's fine..." Mio said between breaths. She was just amazed that Minna had pushed her so far. She would have expected Minna to not be able to get her aroused enough, rather than too aroused. Perhaps Minna had just gotten lucky with finding one of Mio's weaknesses. Perhaps she'd actually learned quite a bit from whatever reading it was she'd done. But there was also the possibility that Mio had wanted this far more than she'd ever been willing to admit, and her own need was playing its own part in building up her arousal. This would all take some getting used to, but she wasn't afraid. She was always eager to train herself, and this particular endeavor was one she was more eager to master than any that had come before.

"I'm glad to hear that," Minna said. She traced a finger over Mio's breast, making sure that Mio didn't fall too far from her state of arousal. To let Minna know that it was alright to keep touching her, Mio closed her eyes and arched her back into Minna's touch. She was quickly rewarded with another hand, joining the first in massaging her breasts. Minna kept it slower this time, building up a pleasant warmth within Mio before her hands finally drifted lower, grasping Mio's swimsuit again. "May I?" Minna said. Mio opened her eyes, wondering why Minna was asking for permission. Minna smiled down at her, and a hand traced its way up Mio's side.

Mio tried to keep herself from shivering at that touch. "You don't need to ask," she said. Minna's finger casually brushed across her nipple as Mio said this, and it took her a moment to remember where she'd been going with that thought. "You've already seen everything in the bath."

"I was trying not to look then, actually," Minna said. Her hand traced a bit farther up, past Mio's shoulder and to the side of her head. "But more than that... I do believe you always kept this on in the bath, no?" Her fingers found the strap of Mio's eyepatch, and she raised an eyebrow questioningly. "I did always find the sight of you without the eyepatch pretty cute... but I can't say I really know what your vision is like with both eyes open, so..."

Mio tried to ignore Minna's use of the word "cute" and focus just on the sweet look Minna was giving her. She just couldn't deny Minna. "Don't worry. With no Neuroi or magic around, it's little different from wearing the eyepatch. The magic just tends to wear off after a while if I don't give it a rest under the eyepatch." Minna's smile broadened at this permission, and she proceeded to carefully pull the eyepatch up and off of Mio's head. The motion caused the bulk of Mio's ponytail to get bunched up under her head as she rested it back on the pillow, so she chose that moment to reach around and pull off her barrette and let her hair fall free. She was planning to be in this bed for quite some time, so it only made sense.

Mio blinked a couple times as she looked up at Minna, wondering if it was her magic eye that was causing the appearance of a blush on Minna's cheeks. It didn't go away though, and Mio was left baffled until Minna was finally able to say, "You're so beautiful..." She traced her fingers through Mio's hair. "You should let your hair down more often when you're off-duty."

Mio wasn't quite sure how to take that compliment. She casted her gaze to the side and said, "Maybe if it's just me and you..."

Thankfully, if Minna had wanted to say anymore, she bit her tongue. She simply leaned down and gave Mio's lips a quick kiss. Mio soon found herself closing her eyes again while Minna's hands began to trace over her chest, sides and stomach. The hands found her breasts once more, rubbing them tenderly and slowly building up a warmth within Mio's chest. Minna's mouth replaced one of her hands after a bit, giving Mio's nipple another kiss. She licked her tongue in a quick circle around it, and then switched to the other nipple to give it the same treatment.

A moan found its way out of Mio's mouth as a wave of pleasure passed over her body. The pleasure was starting to build up within her, but Minna was careful not to let it get to be too much. When the pleasure did begin to turn into need, Minna was quick to notice the change in Mio's moans, and her hands moved downwards. She quickly pulled off Mio's swimsuit, tossing away her shoes in the process, and came back up to stroke her hands over all of the newly-exposed flesh.

Minna's hands paused when they came to rest on Mio's inner thighs, and Mio could imagine that Minna was taking the chance to simply look over her body. Minna didn't take too long though, and she soon began to trace her fingers in gentle circles around Mio's thighs, moving slowly inwards. Mio let out a sharp gasp when a finger crossed her slit. She hadn't been expecting the feeling to be that intense, especially from such a quick touch. She shifted her legs a bit, trying to rub them together to get rid of the warmth that was beginning to build in her crotch, but that only ended up making it worse.

The warmth turned into heat as Minna placed the palm of her hand over Mio's slit. Even though she simply held it there, the pressure of it was causing the need between Mio's legs to slowly build. The hand slowly began to slide down, and Minna's finger rubbed along the length of Mio's slit. Mio let out a deep sigh; that motion seemed to help release a lot of the tension that had been building, turning into a soft wave of pleasure that emanated throughout her body.

The heat between Mio's legs wasn't dissipating, though. Minna's finger stroked her a few more times, but every time it paused, Mio's need came right back, stronger than before. Mio eventually had to let out a plea to make sure Minna knew this. "Don't... stop moving... I need your touch..." A hum let Mio knew that Minna had gotten the message, and the finger began to stroke steadily across Mio's slit. Minna made sure that Mio wouldn't lack for her touch, though Mio was beginning to wonder if she could ever possibly get enough of it.

As if in response to Mio's need for more, Minna's free hand found its way to Mio's breast, gently rubbing it even as Minna's finger managed to slip its way inside Mio's slit. Acting on instinct to give Minna better access, Mio spread her legs, opening herself up for Minna and allowing that finger to find its way to even more sensitive depths of her body. She tried to hold back her moans, but it was a losing battle at this point. Every small movement of Minna's finger seemed to send a jolt of pleasure through her body that forced a noise out of her throat.

Even this wasn't enough. The more pleasure she got from Minna's touch, the more she needed. If she could have gotten a word out through her moans, Mio would have tried to thank Minna for not slowing down at all, and maybe even beg her to go faster. As it was, all she could do was store up her thanks for when she would finally be able to get a coherent word out of her mouth again.

Mio tried to focus her gaze on Minna, but she soon found it to be impossible. Even if her normal eye had been able to focus, it soon became apparent to her that her magic eye was starting to go a bit haywire. Under normal situations, she would have thought the room was flooded with magical energy, judging by the purple glow that covered her vision. She tried to just ignore it and focus on Minna's face with her normal eye, letting herself admire her lover's beauty. She had at least some success at this, at least up until the moment that Minna's finger brushed against her clit and made her eyes roll into the back of her head from the sharp blast of pleasure.

It wasn't long before Minna found that spot again. A pair of fingers began to massage it between them, and Mio soon found herself struggling to lie still, even when she gripped the bedsheets beneath her with both of her hands. The heat within her body built up rapidly. There was no stopping it at this point, even if Minna hadn't been trying to push Mio ever closer to the edge. Mio could never be sure, but she thought she heard Minna say the words, "I love you, Mio," just before her world exploded.

All sense of the world around her vanished. For one moment that seemed like it would never end, Mio was flying again. No, she couldn't even compare the thrill of flight to what she felt now. It was so much more of a thrill that, even when she began to fall back to the ground, the feeling of pure joy never left her, and her earthly worries never returned. When she felt Minna catch her, wrapping her arms around Mio's body, Mio held her lover back. She let Minna into her world, enjoying a private flight with her love, until at last the two of them landed back in Minna's bed.

"Minna..." Mio said as soon as she could spare enough breath to get the word out. Tears broke out from her eyes as she realized what she'd finally found. "I flew..." She could explain later. She was still trying to process it all herself. The way she felt now, it was hard to believe she'd ever wondered how she could live without fighting. She'd been blind to so many things, and she could never thank Minna enough for opening her eyes.

When she could slow her tears down enough, Mio did just that: She opened her eyes to gaze at Minna thankfully. Something looked a bit different about Minna, though. She looked even more beautiful than usual, but Mio couldn't figure out exactly what the difference was. In fact, it seemed that Minna figured it out first. Her eyes focused on Mio's right eye. "Mio... your eye..."

Mio blinked a couple times to clear her vision. That was it. She was seeing Minna with both of her eyes now. Chuckling gently, Mio leaned up to give Minna a quick kiss. "You must have burned it out." Minna looked a bit worried, but Mio did what she could to soothe her lover's fears. "Don't worry... it should be back by tomorrow. But for now... I can see you better this way."

Minna let out a relieved laugh, and she let herself drop down to the bed, cuddling up with Mio. Her hands casually stroked along Mio's sides, and she looked deeply into Mio's eyes. "I still can't believe this is real," she said. Her gaze softened, and it looked like she might have been fighting tears of her own.

Mio smiled gently. "I can. This feels more real than anything I've ever felt before." She took a slow breath. Things were finally starting to make sense to her. "Minna... I was an idiot to glorify death in battle. If I died, I never would have felt this moment." Mio brought a hand to the side of Minna's face and brushed a lock of hair out of her eye. "I promise you, Minna, you'll never have to pull a gun on me again to keep me from being an idiot. I've got too much to live for to throw my life away now."

At this, Minna finally lost the battle against her own tears. She buried her face in Mio's shoulder to try to hide it, and she pulled her own body tightly against Mio's. Mio held Minna until the tears subsided, letting Minna get it all out if she needed to. "Mio..." Minna muttered. "I love you so much... thank you..."

"I love you too, Minna," Mio said. She let her eyes fall closed. The world was almost perfect. Just a few things left to do: Turn the lights off, pull up the covers... and one more thing. Mio let Minna embrace her for another minute, as the hug felt too nice to end prematurely, but she pulled back from it before too long. She didn't want to risk Minna falling asleep on her. Mio waited for Minna's eyes to open again, and she gave her lover a smile. "Don't fall asleep yet, Minna. It's my turn to give you something to live for."

X-X-X

**Canonicity Notes:**

Mio's eye: None of the explanation about it here is canon. All we really know is that it temporarily lost its magic when she was injured in season 1. She does mention in the first song album that she can see the flow of magic with it, though, which I mentioned here but which isn't apparent in the anime.

Minna's reading material: No canon basis. We do know, from the third song album, that she's a huge fan of romantic movies, though.

Mio and Minna's virginity: No explicit canonical basis. For Minna, the universe creator, Humikane Shinada, once commented that witches refrain from sexual contact with men due to a rumor that they would lose their magic if they lost their virginity. This had the result of Minna's popularity recovering a bit, relative to its drop when it was revealed that she used to have a boyfriend. Given that a few know parents like Anna Ferrara are still able to use magic, this is probably just a rumor.

**Author's Note:** This brings us to the end of this fic, though I have no plans to stop writing Mionna. I have another fic already in progress, as a "Season 3" of sorts, and I may write more that focuses specifically on them as well.


	7. Love Aglow

**Author's Note:** I promised you a bonus chapter, and I'm here to deliver! I say "bonus" as there isn't really that much plot here compared to past chapters, though a little did manage to slip its way in. Hope you all enjoy!

Oh, and if you haven't heard: A Strike Witches movie has been announced. There's a link to a news story about it in my profile, along with a link to an M-rated Mionna doujin that my friend Shezaei Neko scanned for me. Hope you enjoy that as well. ^^

X-X-X

**Title:** Something to Live For

**Chapter Rating:** M

**Chapter 7:** Love Aglow

X-X-X

Minna blinked her eyes open, clearing spent tears out of her eyes so she could see why her lover had pulled away from her. It was clear from a glance that nothing was wrong; Mio's smile was as genuine as Minna had ever seen it. "Don't fall asleep yet, Minna," Mio said. "It's my turn to give you something to live for."

A sudden wave of warmth erupted from Minna's heart as Mio said this. She'd been so intent on making love to Mio that she was ready to fall asleep before even giving Mio a chance to return the favor. But now that she was past that brief lapse of judgment, there was no way she could possibly Mio. Everything was telling Minna that she needed this, and now that the suggestion was planted in her mind, she would never be able to fall asleep without it. Trying not to let the fact that her heart was racing show on her face, Minna nodded slowly at Mio.

Her smile widening, Mio shifted her position so she could lie on top of Minna. She kept her eyes firmly locked with Minna's, and Minna found herself nearly entranced by the gaze. It wasn't often she got to see Mio without her eyepatch, even less often outside of battle, and there had only been a single occasion before tonight when she'd seen Mio without her magic eye. She'd been preoccupied with Mio's health back then, so this was the first time that she had a chance to simply look at Mio like this. It was just perfect for making love, she decided; it made Mio appear so much more gentle and tender.

As if to prove that this transformation didn't mean she was any less strong of heart, Mio leaned down to capture Minna's lips in a firm kiss. Minna surrendered at once to the assault on her lips. Even as Mio worked to make her melt under the kiss, Minna had enough presence of mind to wrap her arms around Mio's body. She slid her hands gently over Mio's naked back, remembering how good it felt when Mio had done that for her.

A chuckle from Mio signaled that she realized what Minna was doing, but she didn't protest. Mio let herself relax a bit, allowing her body to come to rest against Minna's. Minna's heart began racing again from the pressure of Mio's breasts against hers, and her mind struggled over whether it wanted to focus on that sensation or the kiss that was becoming deeper by the second. Mio made this decision even more difficult when she began to shift her body around, each time renewing the feeling of her breasts squeezed against Minna's. At first, Minna thought that Mio was just trying to find a more comfortable position, but when Mio was able to guide one of her nipples to make contact with Minna's, it became obvious that she knew exactly what she was doing.

At last, Mio withdrew from the kiss to take a quick breath, and Minna used the opportunity to give Mio an accusatory glare for this teasing action. She earned a raised eyebrow in reply, but instead of saying anything about it, Mio snuck a hand in and gave Minna's nipple a quick pinch. A yelp forced it's way out of Minna's throat from the sudden jolt of both pain and pleasure. The small amount pain didn't surprise her, but she hadn't been expecting the pleasure to feel that strong. It was more than enough to make up for the pain, though she tried not to let that fact show on her face. When she'd explored with her own body, it had certainly felt nice, and she'd learned that her breasts were quite sensitive, but she'd never found any pleasure in pinching her nipples like that. When Mio did it, however, the pleasure was almost too much for her to bear. And that was just from a single, quick pinch that she hadn't even been prepared for. How much stronger could this all get?

Minna tried to glare at Mio for the pinch, but it ended up coming off as more of a pout. Mio seemed to enjoy this reaction, even as she began to try to kiss the pout off of Minna's face. Minna decided to make Mio work for it, and she didn't relax her pout until Mio's hand returned to her breast. She initially tensed in anticipation of another pinch, but Mio's hand was gentle, as if she was trying to make up now. Minna couldn't resist letting out a hum as her breast started to fill with pleasure, though her hum soon turned into a moan as Mio finally succeeded in getting her lips to loosen into the kiss.

Mio seemed to enjoy getting these sounds out of Minna, though it was hard to tell for sure. Whenever Minna stopped moaning, even for a second, Mio's hand redoubled its efforts on her breast. Mio soon had to leave the kiss to give Minna enough room to breathe through her moans. Mio adjusted her position a bit more so she could bring her other hand up to Minna's breast, and she gave this mound the same attention. Even though Mio was more focused on her task now, her pace seemed to slow down. Minna had trouble thinking clearly through the constant waves of pleasure emanating from her chest, but she did have enough presence of mind to give Mio a pleading moan, trying to inquire why Mio had slowed down.

Mio didn't immediately reply, but when Minna's eyes were finally able to focus, she was able to make out a smile on Mio's face. "I want to savor this," Mio said at last. She ran the palm of her hand gently over Minna's breast, then circled it around Minna's nipple a couple times. "This is just as enjoyable as being on the receiving end. I quite enjoy the idea of driving my commanding officer wild with pleasure."

Minna felt warmth begin to fill her cheeks at that comment. Soon after that, though, something occurred to her. Focusing through the pleasure, she managed to say, "When have you ever thought of me as your commanding officer?"

As Minna had expected, Mio let out one of her classic laughs at this comment. "Alright, I'll give you that one." She looked down at Minna, and a twinkle appeared in her eyes. She slowly massaged Minna's breast in her hand as she said, "How about this: I quite enjoy the idea of driving my _girlfriend_ wild with pleasure. That rank would actually give you a chance of getting me to listen to your orders." Mio gently held Minna's nipple between her fingers, giving it a light pinch that made it very hard for Minna to think about what Mio had just said. "What do you say, will you accept the promotion?"

It may have been hard at the moment for Minna to spare much thought for that question, but fortunately it wasn't one she needed to give any thought to at all. Minna tried to get out a reply, but the swell of giddiness inside her combined with Mio's ministrations on her breasts to turn her reply into just another moan. Giving up on speech for the moment, Minna gave an enthusiastic nod in reply to Mio's question.

Mio grinned at this. "Perhaps I'm not letting you think clearly enough about it, though. I really should be fair. Want me to slow down a bit for you?"

"Don't you dare!" Minna said. She had no problem getting those particular words out, and they earned her a chuckle out of Mio.

"I wouldn't dream of it," Mio said. She cupped both of Minna's breasts at the same time and slowly squeezed in on them, giving Minna all the proof she needed of Mio's intentions. Humming again, Minna let her eyes fall closed and allowed herself to be enveloped by the pleasure. Mio seemed to be trying a lot of different things to see what Minna liked best, but even Minna was having trouble figuring that out right now. Every single motion of Mio's hands against her breasts felt heavenly, and she was hard-pressed to pick a favorite.

A sudden warm and wet feeling on her breast made Minna rethink that conclusion. This could certainly be a new favorite. Mio had leaned down and started licking her tongue around Minna's breast. She seemed to be trying to lick every spot of it, steadily filling it with a beautiful warmth. She finished up with the nipple, giving it a quick kiss. "Mio..." Minna said. "More of that..."

It seemed that Mio hadn't been lying when she said this promotion would make her more likely to obey, as she did just that. She switched over to Minna's other breast to give it the same treatment, lingering even more this time. Even once she'd licked all of it, she switched to kissing her way around it, sucking in as much of it as she could before pulling out and finding a new spot. Minna soon found herself gripping the bedsheets beneath her to try to keep herself still, though Mio seemed to sense when it was getting to be too much. She pulled back to give Minna a break for a few moments, but it wasn't too long before she returned to Minna's first breast to lavish attention on it again.

Minna was starting to feel like it was getting to be too much for her again, although her assessment changed to "not nearly enough" when she felt Mio's hand slide down her stomach, towards her pants. There was so much more she needed from Mio, although Mio still seemed to be taking her time with getting to it. Just as soon as she'd planted the idea of what she might be about to do into Minna's mind, her hand moved sideways, stroking across Minna's stomach. It did feel nice, but it wasn't what Minna needed right at that moment.

Savoring the moment was one thing, but Mio was just trying to frustrate her now. Minna focused through the pleasure that was emanating from her breast and tore one her hands away from the bedsheet to grab Mio's wrist. She pulled it down to her crotch and made sure that Mio could feel her need. It was a bit distracting to have Mio's hand right there, but Minna was still able to focus through it and do what needed to be done. Her other hand raised Mio's head so she could look her lover in the eyes. An amused smile was revealed on Mio's face, but Minna ignored it. She held Mio's gaze and said, "I want to... need to feel you inside me, Mio."

Mio's smile widened. Minna thought she could see a flash of nervousness pass through Mio's eyes, but it was soon gone. She didn't worry about it, though. It would only be natural for Mio to be a bit concerned about whether she could do everything right, but as long as she was going to try, it would easily be enough. Mio shifted her body up for a moment so she could plant a quick kiss on Minna's lips. "Yes, ma'am," she whispered.

Minna couldn't help but blush a little at this reply from Mio. She was really going all out to be nice and obedient, just as she'd promised. Minna doubted this obedience would actually last very long, but for now, it did help to reinforce in her mind that Mio was serious about this. Also helping reinforce that message was the fact that Minna soon felt Minna's fingers slip inside her pants and stroke their way down her slit. Minna shuddered as she tried to adjust to the sudden wave of pleasure that coursed through her body.

Mio held her hand steady, giving Minna the time she needed to adjust to the unfamiliar presence. It didn't take long before the initial blast of pleasure started to fade, and Minna found herself pulling her sex into Mio's hand and trying to grind against it to feel that lovely warmth once more. Mio let her do this for a bit before she started moving her hand of her own accord. She didn't move it much, but even the smallest friction against Minna's folds caused such incredible sensations within her that she was in no mood to complain.

Soon, even this wasn't enough to satisfy Minna. She reached a hand down to her pants so she could pull them off and give Mio better access, but Mio ended up beating her to it. As soon as Minna's hand had started to tug at her pants, Mio had seemed to notice it, and she used both of her hands to strip Minna's pants off.

"Don't try to deny me my fun," Mio said. Minna focused on her love's face, confirming that Mio's smile was still there. It was just a tease, though it still managed to make Minna's blush deepen a bit more. Minna's blush only deepened more as Mio sat back and took a chance to look over her naked body. "Why didn't I ever notice how beautiful you are?"

There was no question left in Minna's mind: Mio was trying to make her blush now. She didn't exactly mind, but she wasn't going to go down without a fight. "Probably for the same reason you never realized how beautiful you are yourself," Minna said, slurring the words just a little as she tried to concentrate through her Mio-induced daze. She was prepared for Mio to retaliate and send her right back into a pleasured haze, but her tease actually seemed to land successfully. Mio blinked, stunned, as if she actually hadn't considered that possibility at all until this moment, and a blush started to appear in her cheeks. That wasn't good; Minna couldn't let Mio lose her focus right now, or she might never be able to satisfy Minna's lust. She found one of Mio's hands with her own and gave it a soft squeeze. Catching Mio's gaze, Minna said, "I'll prove it to you later, but don't you dare get distracted now."

This got Mio's attention. She spared only enough time to nod at Minna before her mouth had found its way to Minna's breast once more. Minna had barely started to let out a moan from this treatment when a pair of fingers pressed at her slit, gently digging their way inside. Her moans becoming more high-pitched by the second, Minna spread her legs to give Mio better access. Mio kept her mouth on Minna's nipple as her hand blindly explored Minna's folds. There wasn't any identifiable purpose to Mio's motions, but this just made Minna's tension rise faster. She could never figure out where Mio's fingers were about to touch next, so she was constantly caught off-guard with each new burst of pleasure that the fingers elicited within her.

Mio did eventually seem to settle down into a pattern, once she had a guess of which spots were the most sensitive. Her mouth slipped off of Minna's breast as she focused on the motions of her hand, but Minna was barely noticing it at this point anyways. Mio's touch had lit a fire in her, and the deliberate motions of Mio's fingers were stoking the flames higher and higher. Minna had no idea how much longer she could last. This was already far past the point where she would usually climax when touching herself, so she had no idea how much further Mio could push her. When Mio's finger brushed over Minna's clit, though, she quickly decided that she didn't care.

Mio's finger found Minna's clit again a couple times, though it didn't linger there for long. Instead, Mio's efforts began to focus just a bit lower. Minna could feel her love's fingers pressing deeper and deeper inside her, until finally Minna managed to relax enough to allow Mio's fingers inside her. Minna could feel her heart begin to race again as she felt Mio inside her, but aside from that, the only sensation she was aware of was the feeling of Mio's fingers. Mio moved her fingers slowly, which gave Minna a chance to adjust. She only needed a bit of time, though. As new as this was to her, there was something about it that just felt right.

Minna couldn't decide if she wanted to clench her muscles to feel more of Mio, or if she wanted to relax to give Mio better access. As Mio's pace picked up, Minna soon found that decision taken out of her hands. Her muscles were acting of their own accord as the flames of pleasure built up within her body. She had no idea whether she was clenching in on Mio's fingers or not, how much she was moaning, or what the rest of her body was doing. All she knew was that she was soon primed to explode.

Even though she could have set Minna off at any time, Mio just kept pushing her lover ever higher. Minna's clit began to ache for her love's touch, but Mio was avoiding it. Was this just her inexperience showing, or was she trying to see how much further she could push Minna? Either way, Minna was in no position to complain. She was at Mio's mercy, and all she could do was plead for release.

Minna wasn't sure if her pleas were intelligible, but they seemed to reach Mio's ears. The pace of the fingers inside her picked up even more. This had to be as fast as Mio was physically capable of, and even though Minna thought she was already at her limit, it somehow managed to push her even higher. It soon felt like Mio had pushed her over the edge, and Minna had barely enough time to revise her conclusions on how her body could be brought to orgasm before her mind was seared away by the explosion of pleasure.

Everything was white. For an interminable moment, Minna felt like she was trapped in a blinding glow. She let it invade and fill her body, basking in the warmth brought on by Mio's love until she at last found herself back in a place that was nearly as good: lying in bed, with Mio's naked body wrapped around her, having moved up to hold her as she exploded. Minna buried her head into Mio's neck, reassuring herself that this was all real and not just some beautiful dream.

When at last Minna was able to relax, Mio moved to give her a quick kiss on the cheek. "Right back," Mio said, and she carefully untangled herself from Minna. She was only gone for the second it took to turn off the lights, and then she was back in bed with Minna. Mio pulled the blankets back up over the two of them and settled in next to Minna. Minna could just barely make out Mio's face in front of her, but she refused to let her eyes fall closed until she could capture its image in her mind one more time.

"You're staying, right?" Minna whispered when she could see Mio clearly. She wrapped an arm around Mio's back and pulled her a bit closer. "I don't want to wake up and find that this was all just a dream... or even worry about that for one second if you aren't here."

Mio smiled at her, and she leaned forward to plant a soft kiss on Minna's lips. "I'll stay. I wouldn't leave now if you ordered me."

Minna couldn't help but chuckle at this. "Good. You wouldn't be Mio if you weren't stubborn as hell. And I'll be damned if I don't love you for it."

X-X-X

_Minna looked up, a smile crossing her lips. "What do you think, Mio? Doesn't Venezia sound like the perfect place for us to take a vacation?"_

First chapter of the sequel fic is already up. Look for _Wartorn_ in the Strike Witches section or linked from my profile.

X-X-X

**Author's Note:** Thank you so much to everyone for reading this, and an extra thanks for those who dropped a review. It's really encouraging to see so many fans for this pairing here. Although this fic is done, I have no intention of stopping writing for them, so keep an eye out!


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